I awoke to the smell of smoke. San Francisco is pretty far from Napa, but with 6 fires burning 6 counties the wind was carrying the ash all the way to the city by the bay.
Today was also my Target’s 4th anniversary and a mini-mass hire for the holiday season. In anticipation of all the interviews combined with the party, the Santa Rosa location loaned us their HR manager.
Around noon, during the party, she said to my store manager, “I don’t know what to feel. I’m here while my store is probably burning to the ground.”
“Have you made contact with anyone?” my manager asked.
HR manager started to list off names; Jame who worked with her in HR- he lost his house, so did backroom team lead Megan. I eventually walked away but she must have continued to list names because at 1:30 an announcement was made.
The store manager sent out a call for volunteers, to carpool to the Rohnert Park and Santa Rosa locations. Why? I wondered. The first names she asked for were people licensed to drive the storage trucks. Ok, this makes sense, we’re going to help people evacuate.
Then she asked for cashiers.
I came up to her to get the full story. It turned out Rohnert Park and Santa Rosa were not burned to the ground but she wanted to make sure that the people who worked there could check on their homes or even evacuate.- So we- volunteers from all of the San Francisco Targets- we were going to run their stores so that the people fleeing from the fire had a place to purchase food, water, and medical supplies.
I was not among the volunteers because even though I am a military veteran I don’t even possess that level of courage.
I pray that God watches over my Target brothers and sisters; the heroic volunteers from my store and the crew of Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, and all other locations affected.
Stand with Target- Stand with NorCal.
