Camp Fire victims find shelter and support in Santa Cruz
Lydia Brewster had to immediately evacuate her Concow home – no time to grab anything for herself or her children Cashe and Victoria. Now, there is nothing left.
“Mine is gone. We lost everything, but we’re here and we’re ok,” Brewster tells KION.
She drove to her friend Becky Deutscher in Cherokee, still away from the flames. Eventually, they had to leave there too. They caravanned to safety, a couple hours away, with Becky’s mother and their friend Katy, along with more children and five dogs.
“Listening to the propane tanks exploding. Everywhere. You can just hear them, knowing that there’s another structure. There’s another structure,” Deutscher said.
Thankfully, Becky’s father owns a home and AA Auto Collision Center in Santa Cruz. It is here where she turned to social media, asking for donations – clothing, toys, and anything else to get Lydia, and the rest of them, back on their feet.
“They lost everything. We figured this would be a good central location for anybody that would like to donate,” Deutscher said.
They say Paradise is not the only town that has been brought to ashes, citing Concow, Pulga, Yankee Hill and Big Bend, and tell KION that each of the people in these described “salt of the earth” communities need just as much information and support.
“Gas money. food. personal items like toiletry socks and underwear,” Lydia said. Katy Lebkicher adds “to clean themselves up. To shower and do stuff like that. It’s the basic needs.”
And this love is being shown right here on the Central Coast. Personal messages to go along with the donations of clothes and toys.
“And just a hug. For someone who has lost everything, it goes a long way,” Brewster said.
The address for AA Auto Collision is 1240 Thompson Avenue.
Donation link for Lydia Brewster
For clothing donations:
Cache: Men’s small shirts & boxer briefs, 30×28 pants, men’s 8 shoe
Victoria: Size 6 tops & pants. Shoes size 12.
Lydia: Size 13/14 longs pants, women’s l/xl shirts, xl sweatshirts, size 10-10.5 shoes
