The Spokane area fires that burned about 10,000 acres and destroyed more than 900 structures earlier this month are cooling off. Several churches and religious organizations are stepping in to help people recover. FāVS News had this story, and NWPB's Senior Correspondent Anna King sat down with FāVS News editor Tracy Simmons to learn more.
Anna King: Hey, Tracy, it's great to have you back here. I really appreciate you coming on with us.
Tracy Simmons: Thanks for having me again, Anna.
King: Recent coverage from FāVS News reported that multiple churches have been working to support those impacted by the fires. Tell us more about that.
Simmons: I'm not surprised at all to see just how many churches, both big and small, have really jumped in to help, and some churches are doing it on their own, while others are teaming up with emergency management agencies.
And together, they're getting people clothes, food, shelter and that's really great to see. But a lot's happening online too. So we're seeing churches posting ways for their congregations to donate money, or they're asking for specific things like toiletries or even soot sponge kits or period packs, which are stuff people don't always think of right after a fire.
And then I would add that some congregations are going even further, and they're opening their doors as shelters or they're turning into distribution centers where people can come and pick up supplies.
King: And local colleges like Gonzaga and Whitworth have also been offering support. What does that look like?
Simmons: You know, it's been a real team effort between the two schools. Whitworth University, which is a Presbyterian school, is on the north end of Spokane, and so that campus was evacuated. Gonzaga is close to downtown Spokane, and so they were able to set up dorm beds for the Whitworth students who were evacuated.
Most of the students who are on campus over the summer are international students, and so I think this was really important for them because they didn't have anywhere else to go. Earlier this month, Whitworth had eight students staying at the Gonzaga campus. And Gonzaga wasn't just helping Whitworth, but they were helping their own too.
Earlier this month, the university was housing 180 people. That includes their own employees, students and family members right there on campus who were living in emergency housing. The university was also providing meals, supplies and crisis counseling. And then over at Whitworth, even though the campus was evacuated, it wasn't just the institution that stepped up; it was the individual people.
So we saw Whitworth employees opening up their homes for displaced students and colleagues.
King: Wow, so really supporting their own and people outside of their institution. What does long-term help look like, Tracy?
Simmons: Something that faith leaders keep coming back to from our interviews is that they don't want people to let the memory fade too quickly.
School's starting up soon — it's almost fall — and it's natural for everyone's attention to shift elsewhere. But the people who are actually affected by these fires are gonna need help for a long time.
One volunteer we talked to said, "The emergency may be over, but the recovery process is long." And so faith communities are encouraging their congregations to pace themselves and think less about the sprint and more about the marathon.
We also talked to a volunteer from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and he said, “Once the ashes have cooled off, we still have a great amount of need that we will have to meet.” And they said they really want to be part of those relief efforts.
And then the last thing, which is interesting, is that a lot of churches are actually doing emergency preparedness training now in case something like this ever happens again, that they will be ready.
King: How are churches trying to help with the grief of this situation?
Simmons: Yeah, there's a lot of grief and heartache in Spokane right now, and I think a lot of the healing comes down to just showing up for each other. Volunteers keep telling FāVS that the biggest source of hope right now is watching how many people genuinely want to help their neighbors.
And I think, like I said, that's where the healing starts. The Seventh-day Adventist Church put out a statement, and they said, “We know that God is good and accompanies us through seasons of crisis. May God continue to give us strength and grace.”
King: Tracy, as always, it's just really informative and a pleasure to have you with us. Thank you for coming on.
Simmons: Thanks for having me again, Anna.
This transcript has been edited for clarity. Read FāVS News’ reporting here.
