Westerlay Orchids in Giving Spirit for California Wildfire Evacuees

Westerlay Orchids donates to help California wildfire victims

Toine Overgaag and Westerlay’s Retail Team present a check of proceeds from their week-long sales event to Monica White, FOOD Share of Ventura. [From left] Monica White, Toine Overgaag, Nancy Gallagher, Paige Harman, and Mayra Romero.

Westerlay Orchids is in the holiday spirit. The Southern California-based plant nursery operation recently orchestrated a fundraiser to help FOOD Share, Ventura County’s Food Bank, which has been instrumental in helping people displaced by the Woolsey Fire. All of the proceeds from retail orchid sales at the Carpinteria nursery from December 10 to December 15 went to the food bank. The $21,030.19 boost to FOOD Share will help it continue its critical operations when demand for food assistance has spiked in the aftermath of the massive wildfire.

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“When you witness the important role that organizations like FOOD Share of Ventura hold in the wake of a tragedy of this scale, it’s so easy to get behind their cause,” stated Toine Overgaag, Owner and President of Westerlay. “It makes me and all of our staff proud to harness our product for the benefit of others. The people at the food bank know how to leverage donations to have the greatest impact for the community.”

Organizations like FOOD Share have been involved since the wildfire erupted in early November and consumed a vast stretch of land in which three people lost their lives, more than 1,643 structures were lost, and thousands of Ventura and Los Angeles county residents displaced.

Westerlay Orchids regularly holds fundraising drives for local nonprofit organizations and community service groups. Local schools and the Santa Barbara Breast Cancer Resource Center have been among the beneficiaries of other community-focused outreach undertaken by the company.

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