Focus Area: Philanthropic First Responder

Service Area: Statewide

Every state is affected by some type of natural disaster, whether it be hurricanes, earthquakes, drought, or floods. For New Mexicans, the cool summer nights are coupled with something exceedingly sinister – the very real threat of wildfires. The time between the beginning of summer and the respite that comes with our increasingly short monsoon season is often one of loss and near misses for the people who live in our state.

The Las Conchas Fire of 2011, previously the largest in state history, burned over 150,000 acres. In response to the emergency, NMCF created the New Mexico Fire Relief Fund. That summer, the Little Bear Fire near Ruidoso destroyed 44,000 acres and 254 homes and buildings while the Whitewater-Baldy Fire in Southern New Mexico burned over 300,000 acres – making it the largest fire in New Mexico’s history. This level of loss can not be recovered from easily, and not without a statewide effort to support the people and animals displaced from their homes and communities. Many families were left picking up the pieces. Meet the Durhams:

We first met Pat and Paul Durham in March of  2011 when we began to explore a fiscal sponsor partnership to support the transformation of the historic Capitan Train Depot into a museum and learning center highlighting agriculture, pioneerism, and railroad history in Lincoln County.  The Durhams lost their home to the Little Bear Fire in June of 2011.

“We’ve decided after a lot of conversation, thinking and awakening in the middle of the night, that losing a home and all the contents is very much like losing a loved one. You go through the same stages of grief: shock, disbelief, anger, denial and then there comes a kind of reconciliation. Sometimes you find yourself going through all of these stages several times in one day. The first few days we felt exhausted after doing one or two things each day, and yet we couldn’t sleep at night. The enormity of our situation would set in.  Even though we had lost many things to which we were attached, we were fine. We both have good health and have received a great deal of support from family and friends.

 One of the most difficult things we are going through is inventorying the contents of the house for our insurance company. It is a sad process to try and list everything in the house and garage, but we are constantly reminded of good memories and times with friends and family.

 At times in the midst of the process we find ourselves thinking about how much we enjoyed designing and building the house around objects that we had had for years, as well as some things that we really liked. Pat had a mahogany cabinet that her dad had made for her mother many years ago. We still had a cedar chest that my dad had made in 1937 from East Texas aromatic cedar and we had found a mercantile cabinet, 13′ long in Carlsbad,CA.  This cabinet dictated the size of the house.  When we look back, we derived a great deal of pleasure from building the house and filling it with things we thoroughly enjoyed. 

 We have wonderful memories of our 6 years living there, many connected to visits from family and friends. Those times have become the touchstone in our coping with the loss.  We still think about things that we miss from the house and we catch ourselves saying – “Oh, we have that at home. . .” when friends mention something that they need.

 Another thing that keeps us going is that almost from the beginning we had determined to re-build. To us, the really important things in life are not things, but people we meet and friendships we make.  We are looking forward to traveling, meeting friends old and new, and designing and building our new home.”

“In the tradition of NMCF’s commitment to be responsive to the current and urgent community needs of New Mexicans, we have established this fund as a convenient and accessible way to connect donors to the nonprofits that are there to help,” says Jenny Parks, NMCF President and CEO. “We invite businesses, nonprofit organizations and donors to join us in this effort to pool resources and help our fellow New Mexicans during their time of need.”

While donations of food and clothing are appreciated, monetary donations are most needed at this point, in the initial stages of families rebuilding their lives. In line with our commitment to maximize resources, 100% of contributions to the New Mexico Fire Relief Fund will go directly to partner nonprofit agencies in the communities that are most affected.

For the most up-to-date information on wildfires in New Mexico, visit nmfireinfo.com.

GIVE NOW to support the New Mexico Fire Relief Fund.

NMCF New Mexico Fire Relief Partners include:

Red Cross of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
Providing statewide outreach and assistance, including shelter and financial aid

The Food Depot, Santa Fe, NM
Providing food and water to displaced individuals from the Las Conchas fire in northern New Mexico

Road Runner Food Bank, Albuquerque, NM
Providing food and water to New Mexicans statewide affected by fires

Santa Fe Animal Shelter, Santa Fe, NM
Providing shelter and care for animals affected by fires in northern New Mexico

Española Valley Humane Society, Española, NM
Providing shelter and care for animals affected by fires in northern New Mexico

The Horse Shelter, Cerrillos, NM
Providing shelter and care for animals affected by fires in northern New Mexico

Equine Protection Fund, Santa Fe, NM
Providing assistance with emergency hay

Santa Clara Pueblo
Providing assistance for the emergency needs of the people and places of Santa Clara Pueblo, including food, water, shovels and other urgent necessities, as well as rehabilitation, stabilization and repairs in Santa Clara Canyon