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Several big-name corporations and nonprofit community organizations have leaped at the opportunity to help the people devastated by Thursday evening’s gas line explosion and fire in San Bruno.
Levi Strauss & Co., Wells Fargo bank and the Safeway Foundation made monetary donations totaling $100,000 to the American Red Cross today, the companies announced.
Levi Strauss and Safeway are also making in-kind donations, and two local community foundations have set up relief funds for victims in San Bruno.
Wells Fargo, which is based in San Francisco, donated $50,000 to the Bay Area chapter of the Red Cross, the corporation said in a statement.
The bank will also enable 85 ATMs at Wells Fargo locations in San Mateo County so customers can make donations directly to the American Red Cross through the machines, the company said. There will be no charge for the service, and all money received will go to the Red Cross.
“We know our contribution will help fund the important work of the American Red Cross Bay Area Chapter in assisting victims of the fire,” Wells Fargo Mission-Regional president Wendy Haller said in the statement. “We truly appreciate their efforts.”
San Francisco-based jeans giant Levi Strauss & Co. is making monetary donations and offering clothing donations to people affected by the fire.
The Levi Strauss Foundation donated $25,000 to the American Red Cross Bay Area Chapter, the company said in a statement, and will match any donations made by employees.
Victims of the fire can also claim $250 gift cards for Levi clothes from the Red Cross’s Bay Area chapter. The vouchers can be redeemed at any Levi Strauss & Co. store.
The statement said the company “extends its sympathy and support to those impacted by this tragedy.”
The Safeway Foundation, the philanthropic extension of the Safeway grocery chain, also donated $25,000 to the Red Cross.
The company supplied first responders and displaced residents with water, ice, and bagged meals as they dealt with the blaze through the night on Thursday, company spokeswoman Susan Houghton said.
The Safeway Foundation also plans to give grocery gift cards to impacted families and will have donation collections at checkout stands in about 80 stores around San Mateo County, the statement said.
Those wishing to assist the San Bruno fire victims can also donate money to the San Bruno Relief Fund set up by the nonprofit San Francisco Foundation, the California Secretary of Service and Volunteering, Karen Baker, said today.
The Silicon Valley Community Foundation – which serves San Mateo and Santa Clara counties – has also set up a collection for the disaster, the San Bruno Fire Fund, according to an announcement from the nonprofit.
The Community Foundation made a $100,000 initial contribution to the Fire Fund and will match any contributions from donors, corporations, and the public dollar-for-dollar up to $100,000, the foundation said in a statement.
All contributions to the Fire Fund will go through nonprofit organizations and programs in the affected area to “help the neighborhood recover” and provide emergency aid to displaced people, the statement said.
Donations to the Fire Fund can be made online by going to www.siliconvalleycf.org and clicking “Donate Now,” or they can be mailed to Silicon Valley Community Foundation, attn: San Bruno Fire Fund at 2440 West El Camino Real, Suite 300, Mountain View, CA, 94040.
“During times of tragedy like this, the true purpose of community is demonstrated as we all come together to help,” foundation president Emmett D. Carson said in the statement. “This happened in our community, in our backyard.”
