Support Families Recovering from the Spokane Fires

The morning the Spokane fires changed my family's life forever started in the most ordinary way. I was wandering through a flea market when my boyfriend chose a random envelope filled with old photographs and decided to buy it.

Shortly after, my phone rang. It was my dad.

He told me they had been ordered to evacuate because of the Spokane fires.

In moments like this, all we could do was wait. We hoped the firefighters would be able to protect their neighborhood. We hoped the wind would change. We hoped the next phone call would bring good news.

Instead, it brought heartbreak.

My parents, lost everything. Their home, their car, their belongings, family photographs, artwork from friends and family collected over a lifetime—gone.

As if that wasn't enough, I learned that their neighbor and friend, Sahar, also lost everything. Sahar is a single mom raising her children, and the fire destroyed not only her home but also her car—her family's only transportation. Now she is facing the overwhelming challenge of finding a new place to live while rebuilding her life and caring for her kids.

When I got home that night we opened the envelope full of other peoples family photographs. We spread them out, wondering about the strangers whose lives had been captured decades ago. One photograph stopped me in my tracks.

It showed the remains of a home destroyed.

I don't know whose house it was. I don't know when the photograph was taken or what family once lived there. But looking at it, I couldn't help but think about how fire has always had the power to change lives in an instant. It doesn't matter what year it is or who you are. A home isn't just a building—it's birthdays, family dinners, handmade Christmas ornaments, childhood journals, photo albums, heirlooms, and the quiet routines that make a place feel safe.

I keep thinking about that old photograph from the flea market.

Someone, many years ago, stood in front of a home reduced to ashes and felt the same grief that so many Spokane families are feeling today. That photograph survived decades. The home did not.

If you're able, I'm asking you to help two families who are now beginning the difficult journey of starting over.

My parents have always been the kind of people who opened their home to others, shared what they had, and showed up when someone needed help.

Sahar is doing everything she can to provide stability for her children during an incredibly uncertain time.

If you can donate to either fundraiser—or both—it would mean more than I can say. And if donating isn't possible, sharing their stories can make a tremendous difference.

Thank you for reading, for caring, and for reminding them that they are not alone.