In the wake of Friday’s deadly Oakland warehouse party fire that killed at least 36 people, the city’s professional sports teams are raising funds for victims and their families.
MLB’s Oakland Athletics set up a YouCaring page this weekend to solicit donations for fire assistance and relief, promising to match up to $30,000. The NFL’s Oakland Raiders joined the campaign and made the same pledge. On Monday the two teams announced they would each match up to $50,000.
Sunday night, the NBA’s Golden State Warriors also announced a $50,000 donation to help families affected by the fire, which is believed to be one of the worst in the city’s history. “We’re all with you out here,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said at Saturday’s game against the Phoenix Suns, before which the arena held a moment of silence for the victims. “We’re devastated today.”
The joint Athletics-Raiders campaign reached its target fundraising goal, but you can still donate to the official fire relief fund, organized by local arts nonprofit Gray Area Foundation for the Arts. The foundation is working with Oakland authorities to support funeral, medical, and health-related expenses for affected families.