Volunteer distribution center aids families affected by fires, CERC volunteer says

A volunteer-run distribution center is providing supplies to families affected by recent fires, Aaron Gutierrez, with CERC, said.

Gutierrez said the site — known informally as "the house" — evolved from an unorganized donation point into a mapped distribution center coordinating volunteers, including AmeriCorps trainees; he said AmeriCorps offers a grant for education after members complete service.

"My name is Aaron Gutierrez. I am with CERC. When we heard that there was fires going on, we suspected that there could be a deployment. Since then, we've just been more or less, running this little bit of chaos, back here called the house. It's like a distribution center for, families that have been affected by the fires," Gutierrez said.

He described the early response as disorganized. "When we showed up, it was nothing like this. It was a lot more unorganized. We were just receiving donations, sorting through boxes, and now more or less we have a map," he said.

Gutierrez said he has previous volunteer experience and training with AmeriCorps. "I was volunteering before I joined AmeriCorps out of Madera, California. Afterwards, I came to an AmeriCorps training," he said. He said he is signing up to be an on-call volunteer and noted that "after I have completed my, service time for AmeriCorps, they will, offer me a grant for, going back to school."

Gutierrez said the organized distribution site aims to channel donations and volunteer labor to families displaced or otherwise affected by the fires. No formal vote or official action was recorded in the provided transcript excerpt.