Faith communities tell of ways they helped after fires
The Fig Tree gathered reports on some on the immediate ways the faith and nonprofit communities responded from faith leaders The Fig Tree was able to reach.
Cody Natland of the Inland District United Methodist superintendent team, which represents the national United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), received and gave out gift cards, and hygiene and cleanup kits to local churches through the Disaster Assistance Center (DAC).
UMC Early Response Teams (ERT) from three conferences brought their expertise in cleaning up fire retardant.
He was concerned about wildfires across the Inland and Seven Rivers districts from White Swan to Tonasket, in the wilderness west of Lake Chelan to the Colville Reservation, and in North Spokane.
Many UMC churches opened doors to offer shelter, meals and relief, and asked how they could help he said.
Kathy Bryson, the Pacific Northwest UMC Conference disaster response co-coordinator, offered suggested actions: 1) Pray for survivors, first responders and everyone impacted. 2) Respond when supplies are requested for hygiene kits and soot sponge kits. 3) Donate to disaster response funds. 4) Attend trainings such as Connecting Neighbors training Saturday, Sept. 19, at Beaverton First UMC in Oregon and training to be an Early Response Team (ERT) member on Saturday, Sept. 26, at the Des Moines, Wash., UMC.
As of Aug. 21, Catholic Charities of Eastern Washington (CCEW) had received more than 1,439 requests for assistance from the DAC at Shadle Park High School. Its call center is following up by reaching out to each one.
CCEW bought and handed out more than $142,000 of $100 gift cards for gas and groceries. It managed 56 Airbnb referrals for displaced families and offered short-term housing or hotel assistance.
It received more than 2,158 donations of money and items—clothing, household items, hygiene and school supplies. CCEW staff at the DAC handed out gift cards, solar lights and chargers, blankets and connected people to its resource database for housing options. It also referred people for emergency assistance, mental health counseling and case management.
Representatives from Catholic Charities USA and Catholic Charities Hawaii, who responded to the Lahaina fires in Maui, came to Spokane to provide guidance to ensure donations go to people most impacted.
The Presbytery of the Inland Northwest (PIN), shared links to local resources such as spokanecommunityresources.org, thefigtree.org/directory.html and to the national Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, invited donations to the Inland Northwest Presbytery for Spokane Fire Relief and referred people to a story about how people came together around the fires at pcusa.org/news-storytelling/news/2026/8/7/spokane-fires.
Paul Allen, executive minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Northern Lights District, said the Week of Compassion focuses on emergency aid. It works with ecumenical partners to provide long-term assistance and helps congregations and others prevent disasters. With ecumenical partners in mainline churches, they are also providing assistance in Yakima.
Chris Snow, pastor at North Hill Christian, worked with community partners to water and a charging station for phones. He will keep the Disciples region informed of needs.
During the first two weeks, the national Churches of Christ came to the Colbert Church of Christ to provide water, food, diapers, shovels, goggles, gloves and PPE.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provided humanitarian assistance from its Welfare Square in Salt Lake City and five bishops' storehouses to meet needs.
On Aug. 11, two truckloads with 38,000 pounds of shelf-stable food arrived, one at Second Harvest Inland Northwest in Spokane and one at Partners Inland Northwest in Spokane Valley.
JustServe, a website of the church, connects people with volunteer opportunities, donation needs and support organizations.
Local congregations partner with community nonprofits, emergency management officials and civic leaders to provide shelter, meals, volunteer service and other assistance to assure resources are distributed quickly to those with the greatest need, he said.
Items from a temporary resource center run by local congregations were transferred to a resource center on the second floor of the former Sears building at the Northtown Mall. It is open from 1 to 8 p.m. daily.
On Aug. 18, the church took a truck of food and emergency supplies for the Spokane Tribe in Wellpinit and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation at Coulee Dam. The supplies included 40 generators, gas cans and extension cords to help displaced households temporarily living in campers, RVs or other locations.
The Richland and Kennewick stakes hosted 600 people at a pancake breakfast and clothing drive and sent clothing, shoes, socks and essentials Aug. 19 to the Teen & Kid Closet, which provides clothing and essentials for youth in foster care and experiencing poverty. The donations are available to children impacted by the Spokane fires.
Since the fires began, two meetinghouses opened to evacuees and the church also provided drinking water to Second Harvest.
Pacific Northwest Conference of the United Church of Christ (PNC-UCC) reported that more than 100 wildfires were burning in its region across Alaska, Washington and North Idaho with impact on thousands of people.
Website manager Ben Crosby created a page with resources for those who are dealing with the fires, welcoming people to send suggestions to office@pncucc.org.
As the Spokane Complex Fires became the focus of news and fire-fighting efforts, the PNC-UCC expressed its commitment also to respond to the needs from the Colville Confederated and the Spokane Indian Reservation, as well as needs in areas near Chelan, Tonasket and Yakima.
At the Spokane Buddhist Temple, Namo Amida Butsu and JW Webb said that for the Sunday service after the fires they focused on compassion and gratitude.
"We made space for members and guests to share, reflect and participate in a short, guided meditation on the teaching of Buddhist master T'an-luan about never abandoning any sentient being in suffering, but constantly aspiring in the heart to fulfill the mind of great compassion."
Episcopal Bishop Gretchen Rehberg invited those needing assistance or resources to reach out to the Episcopal Diocese. She invited others to donate to the Episcopal Disaster Relief Fund to help the diocese care for those affected.
Gifts will provide assistance to individuals, families and congregations as needs arise for emergency aid and helping communities on the long journey of recovery and responding to unforeseen needs.
"Every gift, no matter the size, is a tangible expression of hope, healing, and God's love, said Gretchen.
Jewish Family Services, Congregation Emanu-El and Temple Beth Shalom received several grants from the Seattle Jewish community and individual donations to support families who lost homes and to make the synagogue building more fire and smoke resistant, said Rabbi Tamar Malino.
They have an ongoing collection drive for goods and non-perishable food for Partners Inland Northwest and provided N95 masks.
"We galvanized teams of volunteers to work with Feast World Kitchen and World Central Kitchen to provide meals during the evacuation and beyond," Tamar added. "We recognize that our city's recovery will take time, and we will continue to coordinate volunteer efforts as needed."
In response to the wildfires' impact on families in the region, Chabad of Spokane launched a community fire-relief effort to provide assistance to families who lost their homes and support firefighters on the front lines.
Chabad of Spokane has also been supporting firefighters and emergency personnel, providing practical items requested by crews, including hygiene products, wipes, energy drinks and other supplies that can make a difference in long shifts fighting fires.
The rabbi and members also visited fire-response areas to learn what firefighters and displaced residents need. Chabad is accepting contributions to its fire-relief fund and connecting families with resources.
The Spokane Hindu Temple and Cultural Center received a major donation from Seattle Hindu Organizations and the priest, Devraj Tiwari, started distributing funds in August.
Families from India who are in Spokane helped each other out, receiving evacuees.
At the Southside Center, families also made vegetarian food for those in need and boxed about 50 dinners to give out at Shadle Park High School.
In addition, Indian families from Seattle and Portland sent items to the Hindu temple in the valley for volunteers to distribute.
Unity Spiritual Center at 2900 S. Bernard opened their building the first night and three families who evacuated with pets stayed overnight.
In mid-August, they did a shower bag/toiletry drive for fire victims, firefighters, Red Cross volunteers and anyone displaced by fires. They received more than 200 toiletry bags, 750 toothbrushes, more than needed for fires. So, they donated the extras to YMCA, YWCA, Union Gospel Mission, Family Promise, Transitions and Women's Hearth.
Benjamin Watson, pastor of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, said that the Spokane Ministers Fellowship will work in collaboration with other ecumenical efforts.
For information, the following is a list of contacts with some of those featured in this story:
• Catholic Charities, cceasternwa.org
• Northern Lights Disciples, office@northernlightsdisciples.org.
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 509-270-4950 or justserve.org.
• The Episcopal Diocese of Spokane, theepiscopaldioceseofspokane.churchcenter.com/giving/to/disaster-relief.
• Chabad of Spokane, jewishspokane.com.
• Hindu Temple and Cultural Center, shtcc.org.
