Ford Fund and Local Dealers Donate to Oso Disaster

The American Red Cross Snohomish County Chapter and Cascade Valley Hospital Foundation Disaster Relief Fund received some much-needed support this week to assist ongoing relief efforts related to the March 22, 2014 mudslide that leveled 30 homes in Oso, WA. The Ford Motor Company Fund made a $25,000 donation to the Red Cross to support Disaster Relief.

Since the March 22 landslide, the Red Cross has mobilized five response vehicles and a total of nearly 400 trained workers – about half of them from Washington State. The American Red Cross is connecting loved ones and providing food, water, emotional support and financial support to Snohomish area residents and their families following the devastating landslide.

Skagit Ford, Burlington, contributed $10,000 to the North Counties Relief Fund, a joint effort of the Darrington Recreation & Education Foundation and North Counties Relief Fund.

Bickford Motors, Snohomish, donated $10,000 to the Cascade Valley Hospital Foundation Disaster Relief Fund. All monies raised will go directly to the local community. The fund will be coordinating with recognized charitable organizations in the Oso/Darrington area to pinpoint what the specific needs are, and distribute funds through those organizations.

“We understand this is a long-term recovery effort with on-going risks to the emergency responders and volunteers. The affected families are starting from scratch and need to know they have the support of their local communities on their road to recovery. It is important to us to contribute to those efforts,” said Larry Gregerson, Ford Fund.

On the morning of March 22. 2014, one square mile of hillside covered 30 homes. An entire section of hillside, nearly 700 feet high, fell all at once into the Stillaguamish River. The slide also covered the road connecting the communities of Darrington and Oso.