Central Coast resident collecting school supplies for Camp Fire victims

As students make their way back to school in Paradise after the Camp Fire tore threw the town, one Santa Cruz County resident is hoping to make that transition for them a little easier.

Kirsten Palmquist grew up in Paradise, “there was a sign when you go into paradise and it said paradise, may it be all it’s name implies.”

The town now suffering an unimaginable loss after the Camp Fire destroyed thousands of homes, buildings and lives.

“It was also the kind of town that everybody in high school wanted to say I gotta get out of tis town for a little bit, I gotta go spread my wings. And we are talking a bunch of us and now we would give anything to go back, ” says Palmquist.

Now living in Santa Cruz County, she knew she had to help her hometown, “there’s just been a huge influx of donations of clothes and cash donations, but this little silent group has been forgotten and that’s all those students that have been displaced now by the fire there’s about 38 hundred of them.”

She’s been collecting school supplies for the past week with the help of children and staff at Salesian Elementary and Junior High School.

Donations will be brought up to Paradise in two trips.

Drop off locations are Deluxe Foods in Aptos and Expressive Learning in Scotts valley through December 20th.

They are looking for donations such as: backpacks, binder paper, pencils, pens, crayola markers, 1″ and 2″ binders and erasers – all in good condition.

You can also donate amazon giftcards or visit the amazon wish lisit called “PARADISE STRONG KIDS”

Or to arrange a different drop off you can email paradisestrongkids@gmail.com