The California wildfires turned life upside down for Californians, but one of them, Kim Ringeisen and his wife Annette donated all that they owned to firefighters in Paradise, California, who risked their lives while saving others and some even lost their own lives and property in the fires.
Ringeisen who is a tech executive and combat veteran also volunteered during the rescue and search operations, said, “You start reflecting everything you have and everything you have going on in your life and you think about what can you do to help the additional firefighters.” They are moving across the country to North Carolina.
Kim added “We decided that instead of shipping everything we own to North Carolina, we were just gonna take our sentimental things and coordinate donating our furniture and everything. Household goods kitchen and everything to the firefighters. There are about 40 firefighters who lost everything in the Camp Fire,” Kim said.
He arranged the entire shipment of their home goods in a 26-foot truck and also they are donating the contents of a storage unit to Goodwill. He also managed to raise through Facebook, about $850 for affected firefighters. His wife Annette makes dolls and donated what was in her store for children’s Christmas presents.
Kim believes in paying it forward and helping those who sacrifice so much daily. “They’re out there every day protecting lives and protecting property and doing the best that they can with it and I think we can help them out when needed,” Ringeisen said.
Even as the year is ending and we are celebrating the Christmas holidays, let us remember those who lost their lives and properties in the Californian wildfires, and uplift and pray for our brave firefighters who assisted in the rescue operations.