I live near site of Var wildfire: How can I donate to help victims?

I live close to the Var fires and I am collecting donations for the human and animal victims of the Var fire. Could you tell me where I could send them?

Many Var mairies are organising collections to help the victims of the recent wildfire which destroyed over 8,100 hectares of land and claimed two lives.  

Some donations are for food and clothes and some are for money.

Cogolin

In Cogolin, cheques can be made out to CCAS de Cogolin, (Centre Communal d’Action Sociale) and sent to CCAS de Cogolin, Place de la République, 83310 COGOLIN. 

A spokesperson for the mairie said they were receiving cheques every day and the money would be divided between the people in need. 

She said they did not yet know exactly how many people in their commune had lost their homes as it was early days and things were still being sorted out.

Hyères

Hyères have a drop off point for non-perishable items of food at the offices of the Police municipale at 63, avenue Gambetta from 08:00-18:00, Monday to Friday, but they are not collecting money.

For anyone wanting to contribute who lives in the region, it is advisable to get in touch with their local mairie.

Grimaud 

There is an online fundraising page for an equestrian centre with a small farm, Ranch La Mène, Grimaud, which has been entirely destroyed by fire. 

All the animals were saved and the owners have asked for donations to provide food for them and to start the rebuilding process. 

They initially asked for €10,000 but have already collected over €52,000. You can contribute on their crowdfunding page.

Nationwide charities

As yet, there have been no fundraising campaigns for victims of the fire set up by France’s biggest charities, with Var’s Red Cross branch saying that they were not doing anything at present. 

The Fondation de France told The Connexion that they had decided not to collect money for victims of the fires in south-east France because – with limited resources at their disposal – they are concentrating on the country’s Covid-19 crisis, the recent earthquake in Haïti and help for people in difficulty in Beirut.

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