Red Cross to Collect Donations at Tonight's M's Game

Tonight at Safeco, the Red Cross will be collecting donations to support their efforts to provide relief to the communities throughout Washington and Oregon affected by this horrible fire season. The Mariners have announced that Mariners Care will match all donations.

Help those affected by Western wildfires with a donation to the @RedCross at any gate tonight. #MarinersCare will match all donations.

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) August 21, 2015

The Chelan Complex Fire has burned over 68,000 acres and is only 50% contained. Earlier this morning, a federal state of emergency was declared for Washington State. On Tuesday, three firefighters lost their lives in the Twisp River Fire just outside of Twisp. Four more were seriously injured. Our thoughts are with the families of the fallen firefighters, and with all those still battling on the fire lines.

My family has a home in the valley. We do not know the state of our house. Thankfully, we do know that our neighbors, most of whom live full time in the Methow, were able to evacuate. Twisp is a beautiful and eclectic community. It is tight knit and the people who live there are resilient and always keen to help one another. But even resilient communities need assistance getting back on their feet, and Twisp is just one of the many towns across the Pacific Northwest that has suffered this year. Sports are a fun distraction from troubling times but they also unite us in a community. I hope our community can continue to show the kindness and generosity it has demonstrated time and again when confronted with tragedy. If you are going to tonight's game and are in a position to help, please consider doing so. Donations help the Red Cross provide food, water, showers, first aid and emotional support to the communities affected by the fires.

If you're not attending tonight's game, you can donate to the Western Wildfires relief effort online or by visiting any U.S. Bank branch in Western Washington and Oregon State.