Humanity Heroes focuses on helping the homeless in need…
And that includes those suffering from transitional homelessness due to unforeseen catastrophes.
This is exactly what arose when the devastating Bear Fire engulfed more than 200 acres of land last year in Oroville, California.
After their homes burned down, many of these people were forced to move into trailers next to their burned down property.
And due to the severity of their fires, many of their properties were deemed as “Fired Zones” areas…
Making it near impossible for them to obtain insurance.
As soon as our CEO, BigMike Straumietis, saw the destruction the fires had caused to victims, he created an immediate plan of action.
Our team partnered with Advanced Nutrients to support the Northern California fire victims with $125,000 worth of Advanced Nutrients products and $125,000 in money donations.
This monetary donation enabled the fire victims to obtain permits that would allow them to continue living in trailers while their homes were being rebuilt…
And it also helped them overcome financial hardships due to assets lost in the fire.
And to complement the BigMike’s contribution, we held a 4/20 donation event at Advanced Soil and Gardens, thanks to the generosity of the hydro store’s owners, Jennifer and Billy Lancaster.
Humanity Heroes donated Humanity Packs and 60 warm blankets to 40+ families and individuals impacted by the fire, as well as 200 CBD water donations, courtesy of Nano Fit Waters.
Advanced Soil and Gardens donated warm meals throughout the day.
When Suffering Leads to Compassion
Not only did Advanced Soil and Gardens donate their time, store, and resources to help their community…
They also decided to reallocate a portion of their Advanced Nutrients product stock to help other victims in need. This gesture alone provided 20+ fire victims with the essential supplies they needed to continue their work.
As victims of the Bear Fire themselves, Jennifer and Billy implicitly understood the suffering of those in their community.
The Bear Fire engulfed their beautiful new home, leaving them with nothing but a faint memory of the dream life they were building.
They were left with no choice but to move into a trailer with their three kids.
After eight long and arduous months of recovery, the Lancasters relocated, moving Advanced Nutrients to a new facility on Feather River Road.
Read their story in their own words below…
“On September 9th 2020 at approximately 1:00 am, The flames from the BEAR FIRE overtook our mountain. We loaded up our beloved 3 Horses, 3 Dogs, and 4 Cats. We never thought we would have to leave, that a wildfire would be in our backyard!
Man 2020…………….So we had a YIKES YEAR…..
Our Business Advanced Soil and Garden Supply had to re -open in our tenth year of business just down the street from our old location…We had to move and fast. We lost our lease, the property had been sold, and we had to vacate by 12/31/2019. We had to do what we had to do……we had to move….But where?
We were not able to find a new building to lease anywhere in town but were able to find a building to purchase. The new building was just a metal building placed on bare land, so we took our entire life savings and put our home up for sale to complete the build out so we could continue to operate. Not only did we have to move our business but now ourselves too! We were able to complete our build out and re-open January 2020.
On July 6th we purchased a new home, just so happens to be our dream home…They say “when one door closes, another one opens.” And it did, we were living the ‘AMERICAN DREAM.” It took us 47 truckloads with our Ford F550 to move us. I remember it like yesterday, it was so hard moving in 100+ degree weather, pounding fence posts to house our horses, but we did it. We moved out of our old home and moved into our dream home. Our home was the last to burn….the closest home to town to burn …. But we just got here!!! WE worked so hard!!!! Only 2 months ago!!! NOT US!!!!! OUR DREAM HOME GONE!!!!”
Advanced Nutrients Goes Above and Beyond to Help People in Need
During the event, Advanced Nutrients’ sales managers Bob Cain and Victor Romito Sales met with each fire victim to assess their needs and help them re-start their businesses.
Many of the fire victims mentioned that this was the first time anyone had offered to help them, and they felt the care and compassion from both Bob and Victor.
While fire victims arrived, Advanced Soil and Gardens generously provided 200 warm meals to feed the community.
And in a twist of fate, the donation event connected us with a fire victim BigMike first helped ten years ago with his first non profit, Bulgaria Humanity Heroes.
You can learn more about our founders’ store HERE.
And can watch the reaction of the fire victims, where one sweet mother was moved by the outreach efforts to help the community in need.
If you would like to donate to support more fire victims, we have a dedicated honorarium fundraiser.
You can learn more about the fundraiser HERE.
Tears and hugs were shared during the Wildfire donation event and it was a very special day giving hope to the Oroville community.
