California Cannabis Company Donates Space to American Red Cross Fire Relief

October 17, 2017
Posted by Shelby Pierce

The State of California is having a particularly rough season of wildfires this year. While cannabis farms have likely been affected by wildfires in the past, this is the first year (at least in my recent memory) that so many media outlets have reported on the number of cannabis crops that are actually threatened with burning down.

I have been so happy to see the number of cannabis companies that have stepped up to help with this state of emergency in California, and felt it was important to share this news release that crossed my desk today…

CannaCraft Donates Space to American Red Cross for Northern California Fire Relief

CannaCraft, Inc. is temporarily donating 12,000 square feet of its office space in Santa Rosa to the American Red Cross to use as its Regional Headquarters for Northern California fire relief. The American Red Cross is already moving people, supplies and equipment into the CannaCraft headquarters, located at 2330 Circadian Way in Santa Rosa, with operations being staged from the site beginning immediately.

The producer of several leading California cannabis brands (AbsoluteXtracts, Satori Chocolates, and Care By Design), CannaCraft reached out to the Red Cross at a critical moment. The relief agency needed a place to coordinate the delivery of disaster services for the multiple counties affected by the fire. In addition to donating office space, CannaCraft is providing Red Cross staff with access to the cafeteria, showers, and other necessities. Local Internet service provider, Sonic, is bringing in free Internet and phone service. At the same time, CannaCraft headquarters is providing shelter to dozens of displaced friends and family. In the process, it’s become home base for numerous cannabis farmers and product-makers, who are working together to organize volunteers, short- and long-term housing, and other services for the shell-shocked community, and to make sure one another can weather the fire storms.

Two hundred American Red Cross volunteers based at CannaCraft will be coordinating 24-hour relief efforts for the Northern California fires. The team will be responsible for running the administrative and logistical side of the operation, staffing shelters, making sure they have the supplies they need and setting up new shelters as needed.

In addition to donating office space, CannaCraft is bringing in phone and internet service, as well providing Red Cross staff with access to the cafeteria, showers and other necessary amenities. CannaCraft has also partnered with local dispensaries Mercy Wellness in Cotati, SPARC/Peace in Medicine in Santa Rosa, and Soulful in Sebastopol to donate $40,000 in free medicine to patients in need.

As California’s largest medical cannabis manufacturer, CannaCraft employs more than 140 people in Sonoma County, several of whom have lost homes and more than 20 percent of whom have been evacuated. The company is still assessing losses to its sites throughout the area and expects damage to be substantial. The CannaCraft headquarters located in Santa Rosa remain intact and operational at this time.

Dennis Hunter, CEO of CannaCraft, said, “These fires have affected every member of the CannaCraft family, so we are particularly committed to helping with fire relief efforts as we are able. We are thankful that our headquarters remain intact and operational, making it possible for us to support the American Red Cross by donating much-needed space. We will continue to evaluate our resources including vehicles, property, facilities, equipment, and product to determine how to best serve our community at this time. We will be providing more information on these efforts as they develop.”

credit:themaven.net