Wildfire has a way of changing the rhythm of a community almost overnight. Roads close. Families leave their homes. Fire crews arrive from across the state — and sometimes from across the country. And suddenly, the question isn’t only how to fight the fire, but how to make sure the people caught in its path have what they need.

As the Rowe Creek Complex continues to challenge firefighters in the region, Crook County has once again shown what happens when a community comes together. Firefighters are working to protect homes and communities, evacuees have needed temporary shelter, and organizations throughout the area have been finding ways to fill the gaps. Redemption House Ministries has become one of those organizations. Through its Outreach Program, Redemption House has been able to respond quickly as needs have emerged — bringing food and supplies to people who need them rather than waiting for them to find their way to a distribution point.

Recently, the Red Cross established an emergency station for evacuees at Carey Foster Hall at the Prineville Fairgrounds. The temporary shelter provided a safe place for people displaced by the fires, but without access to a kitchen, food service was challenging. With emergency resources stretched by multiple fires throughout the region, an anonymous call brought the situation to Redemption House’s attention. The organization had extra food donations available after Craig’s Compassionate Cafe had taken what it needed, along with snack-type donations that had recently come in. Those supplies were gathered up and delivered to help supplement the Red Cross effort.

Fortunately, another community partner soon stepped forward. Eastside Church offered its building, kitchen and parking lot as a place for evacuees, providing a more sustainable temporary shelter. For Redemption House, however, the experience was another reminder of why its Outreach Program matters. “We have the people, vehicles, and knowledge of the outlying areas to mobilize quickly,” Executive Director Dawn Mountz explained. That ability to go where the need is, is becoming an increasingly important part of Redemption House Ministries’ work.

Many organizations provide food, clothing and other necessities from a central location, asking those who need assistance to come to them. Redemption House’s Outreach Program takes a different approach. With established routes, volunteers, vehicles and knowledge of Crook County’s rural communities, the organization can help move resources outward — to people and places that might otherwise be difficult to reach.

And during the current wildfire emergency, those routes have expanded to include another group: the firefighters themselves. Redemption House volunteers have been delivering donated food and snacks to evacuees staying in Prineville, while also taking pastries to fire camps as a small reminder to the crews working long days on the lines. Sometimes, help arrives from surprising places. Recently, an out-of-state fire team finishing a two-week assignment in the area brought Redemption House its remaining toiletries and snacks after hearing about the organization’s Outreach Services. Those donations went directly into Redemption House’s shelters and outreach routes, where they could continue helping people in the weeks ahead.

But the firefighters left something else behind, too: a remarkable compliment to the community they had spent the past two weeks serving. After more than 20 years of fighting fires, they told Redemption House staff that they had never experienced the kind of community support they found in Crook County. That may be one of the most important stories to come out of this difficult summer. Wildfires can make a community feel vulnerable. They can also reveal just how many people are willing to step forward when their neighbors need help.

A food donation becomes a snack for an evacuee. A church parking lot becomes a shelter. A fire crew’s leftover supplies become toiletries for families and snacks for future outreach routes. A volunteer with a vehicle becomes the person who can get those supplies from one place to another. Piece by piece, these individual acts become something much bigger.

We’re all in this together.

That is the spirit behind Redemption House Ministries’ Outreach Program — and the organization hopes to continue growing its ability to respond when needs arise throughout Crook County. As more local organizations recognize that Redemption House can help get food and supplies into the hands of people who need them, the program will need additional community support of its own. Donations help keep resources moving, while volunteers make it possible to deliver them.

And the need isn’t limited to wildfire emergencies. The same network of people, vehicles, supplies and local knowledge can help reach individuals and families facing other unexpected hardships throughout the year.

If you know of someone with a basic need that isn’t being met, Redemption House encourages you to reach out. If the organization can’t provide what is needed directly, its team will work to find another resource or community partner who can help.

Redemption House Ministries Outreach Services: 541-362-5642

In a season when so much of the landscape has been defined by fire, Crook County is offering a powerful reminder of what it means to look after one another. And sometimes, the most important part isn’t having everything someone needs. It’s knowing who to call — and being willing to go.