Photo courtesy of Greg Burk

While many parts of the lake were thankfully spared, the Creek Fire caused widespread damage to the Huntington Lake community, and it will take the entire community coming together to rebuild. On this page, we’ve collected information on groups collecting funds or otherwise organizing relief efforts, including for themselves. We will only post links or contact information for fundraising efforts that we have independently verified are sanctioned by the organizations they claim to support. If you’d like to add a new group or effort to this page, or if you have questions or concerns about what’s listed right now, please let us know.

Verified & Legitimate Relief Efforts

Inside Huntington Lake

While the extent of the damage is only now becoming clear, efforts are already underway to raise money to rebuild the Huntington Lake community.  You can find efforts that directly benefit Huntington Lake below.

Huntington Lake Volunteer Fire Department

Huntington Lake Volunteer Fire Department

The HLVFD made sure everyone at Huntington Lake was evacuated safely from the fire, but unfortunately they suffered some of the most severe losses themselves, including the loss of their station at Camp La Salle.  You can read more about the damage here.  Despite their losses, the VFD continues to support the lake community, helping assess damage, patrolling during re-entry and more.  But with the loss of Station 262, they will be hard-pressed to provide the level of service we have all come to expect, especially for those parts of the community on the west end of the lake.

The VFD needs to raise substantial funds to rebuild the station and replace their lost equipment.  Please consider donating today.  They will also be looking for community volunteers to help in the rebuilding effort, especially those with electrical and plumbing skills.  If you’d like to volunteer, please e-mail Peter Allbright at allbright62@gmail.com.

Or, you can send a check to:

Huntington Lake VFD
125 E. Barstow
Ste 109
Fresno, CA 93710

Inside/Outside Huntington Lake

Several groups have set up funds to support rebuilding in the broader Central Sierra area, including but not limited to Huntington Lake.  If you’d like to donate to a broader effort that will also benefit Huntington, here are some places that will put your time and/or money to good use.

Central Sierra Resiliency Fund

Central Sierra Resiliency Fund

The Resiliency Fund has been set up by a group of community members through the Central Sierra Historical Society and Museum, with a stated mission “to support the revitalization of the forests and communities surrounding Shaver Lake through land restoration, local stewardship, and economic efforts that honor the historical legacy of the Central Sierra region.”  They have begun fundraising efforts, and have created a Resiliency Council to identify and review potential recipients, including local, state and national agencies and organizations.  You can read more about their efforts here.

The Resiliency Fund will support projects in Huntington Lake and Lakeshore, as well as Big Creek, Shaver Lake, Pine Ridge, Meadow Lakes, Alder Springs, Auberry, and other areas of Fresno County affected by the fire.  You can join their efforts by contributing today.

Or, you can send a check to:

Central Sierra Resiliency Fund
P.O. Box 617
Shaver Lake, CA 93664

Rebuild Our Sierra

Rebuild Our Sierra

Rebuild Our Sierra is a grassroots fundraiser created and run by the 501(c)(3) of the Shaver Lake Visitors Bureau. They are a rebuilding effort focused on helping individuals and communities affected by the Creek Fire. Their goal is to unify fundraising efforts to ensure that all funds received are dispersed directly back into the communities affected by the fire’s destruction. They are mountain people helping our mountain and foothill families.

Rebuild Our Sierra will be supporting projects throughout the area affected by the Creek Fire, including Huntington Lake.  Get involved or donate at RebuildOurSierra.org.

Resiliency Fund Volunteers (Organized by V.E.S.T.)

Resiliency Fund Volunteers (Organized by V.E.S.T.)

In addition to raising money through the Resiliency Fund, the Central Sierra Historical Society will also be coordinating volunteer efforts throughout the area through the Resiliency Fund Volunteers.  The RFV, part of the Society’s broader Volunteer Education & Service Team (V.E.S.T.), will organize members for a wide array of projects, from tree planting to grant writing, from assisting victims with FEMA processing to making phone calls to donors, all of which will help the area recover from the Creek Fire.  If you have time or skills you’d like to contribute to the recovery, they’ll find a way for you to help.

The Resiliency Fund Volunteers are accepting applications now.  You can let them know you’d like to help, including what kinds of projects you’d prefer to assist with, using this form on their website.  If you have questions or your organization is in need of Creek Fire volunteers, send them a note at RFVolunteers@sierrahistorical.org.

Outside Huntington Lake

The Creek Fire not only devastated Huntington Lake, but caused widespread damage and destruction across the broader Central Sierra community.  If you’d like to help support this broader community, here are some ways to do so.

Cressman’s General Store and Gas Station

Cressman’s General Store and Gas Station

Cressman’s may not be a part of Huntington Lake, but they are absolutely part of the Huntington Lake community.  Anyone who loves Huntington has memories of cruising too fast up the four-lane, entering the forest canopy just past Tollhouse Road, and exiting a few hundred feet later to find ourselves welcomed by Cressman’s to the mountains we love.  We would stop for gas, for food, for supplies, and on Saturdays and Sundays, for something wonderful made of wood to make our cabins seem a little more like home.

The drive up to the lake just isn’t the same without Cressman’s.  Thankfully, the Gillett family who runs Cressman’s loves the community just as much as we do, and they are going to rebuild.  They’ve set up a GoFundMe, which you can find below.  Please consider helping them get back to serving the Central Sierra community with the love and care we’ve all come to expect.