The California Growers Association is holding a fundraiser on Thursday for its Wildfire Relief Fund to help at least 44 cannabis farms and related businesses in Mendocino and Sonoma counties affected by last month’s fires. The organization estimates that at least $40 million in wholesale values were lost from the fires directly, and expect a recovery cost of at least $3.4 million.
The group is working to confirm 11 more reports of affected businesses, and there are several other unconfirmed reports of impacted farms in Santa Cruz, they said in a press release.
So far, the CGA has raised $104,720 toward their goal and have made no expenditures from the fund.
“Thankfully now the Northern California wildfires are contained, and this natural disaster seems to be behind us,” the organizers said in the release. “Tens of thousands of acres were burned, thousands of structures destroyed, and people from all walks of life were displaced.”
Musicians Melissa Etheridge and S.A. Martinez of 311 will be auctioning off signed memorabilia at the event to help raise money for the fundraiser.
“The immediate need we face is to support the affected farmers who, like many of us in the cannabis space, lack protections that are available to other businesses and so we are rallying the entire cannabis community together behind this cause,” the CGA said in a release.
The event is being held at the DTLA Art Gallery.