South Bay mom helps Carr Fire victims

SOUTH BAY, Calif. (KTVU) - A South Bay mother is accepting donations to help victims who were devastated by the Carr Fire in Shasta County. Jamie Bruck first asked for donations on the social networking site Nextdoor. The grassroots effort has taken off.

Last week, Bruck learned her great-grandmother was among the tens of thousands of people who were forced to evacuate their homes in the Redding area. 

“She was evacuated at 3 a.m. and she wasn't able to grab everything so I assume a lot of other families are in the same situation,” said Bruck. 

Bruck’s great-grandmother's home is one of more than 800 homes that burned down. Bruck wanted to help others so over the weekend, she began collecting items including water, toiletries and baby items.

There were so many people who wanted to help, so she used an office storage space to collect donations.

“They close at 4 p.m. so I rushed back from my work from San Mateo all the way to San Jose,” said Intekhab Nazeer of San Jose. 

Intekhab Nazeer and his wife Ayesha don’t know anyone personally affected but rushed over to the donation site and brought toiletries. Their sons gave their stuffed animals.

“I think we should step up and help people,” said Ayesha Nazeer of San Jose. “It's a sad time all over the world. I think we should start locally and then help globally when we can.”

Kumi Nishida brought baby items. She recalled the wildfire in Santa Rosa last October. Her husband's co-worker lost his home in that blaze.

All of them said they wanted to show a little empathy at a time when many people need it.

“If you just put yourself in their shoes you can feel their pain,” said Intekhab Nazeer. “You can feel the heat and everything. You get emotional and get it done.”

“Even though this is a really devastating time, there are people out there who really care and want to help out,” said Bruck. 

Bruck will be leaving the Bay Area Wednesday morning and delivering the items to evacuation shelters in the Redding area. 

If you’d like to help, she’s accepting donations:

In Livermore on Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Main Street Designs at 2196 First Street.

In Pleasanton on Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 7506 Rosedale Court.