TRAVELING TO PROGRAM
We're excited to have you joining us on our program in California!
Volunteers are responsible for arranging travel to the program and associated costs. Please budget accordingly. Before you travel, please be aware that we ask all volunteers and staff to confirm that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. You must bring along your vaccination card as you may be asked to prove your vaccination status at any time. The term fully vaccinated refers to when an individual has received the single-shot vaccine or both doses of the two-shot vaccine, and two weeks have elapsed since the final dose. In addition to the vaccination, we ask all volunteers to take an antigen test 72 hours before traveling to program.
Please take the time to read our COVID-19 safety measures and Practical Guide for this program. All Hands and Hearts reserves the right to ask anyone who does not adhere to our COVID-19 safety measures, or any other element of our Code of Conduct, to leave program.
Read more about our safety measures on the Health, Safety and Security page.
GETTING TO BASE
Our California Wildfire Relief program is based in Paradise, CA. Once your application to volunteer has been accepted we will share the exact location and address with you.
We welcome new arrivals Mondays & Thursdays only. Do not arrive on a different day–you may be asked to stay at a local hotel until the arrival day. The team provides a shuttle pick-up on those days from Sacramento International Airport (SMF) at Terminal B Gate 2 once per day. The exact time of the pickup will depend on other volunteers’ flights arrival on the given date, but please plan to arrive by 4pm.
Once you have flight details to Sacramento, please please reach out to Allison, our Volunteer Relations Coordinator, at +1(978)399-5667 or allison.s@allhandsandhearts.org to schedule your pickup.
For shuttles from the Sacramento airport at Terminal B Gate 2, In the event that multiple volunteers are arriving on the same day, volunteers arriving earlier in the day will be asked to wait for the shuttle pick-up until later in the day when everyone has arrived. The latest shuttle will be at 4pm.
flying
The closest airport to the base is Sacramento International Airport (SMF), which is a 1.5 hour drive from our base. Once you have arrived at the airport in Sacramento, you can be picked up by AHAH staff, take a Lyft or Uber that costs between $100-125-one way, depending on the time of day, or you can take the Greyhound bus from Sacramento to Chico, from where a staff member can pick you up. Staff need to be made aware in advance if you would like to be picked up from the Sacramento International Airport or Chico.
You can also fly into Redding Regional Airport (RDD). From there the car ride is about 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours and you will need to Lyft, Uber, or Taxi, which costs between $100-125.
DRIVING
There is a limited parking area available for personal cars. If you are planning on driving, reach out to the Volunteer Relations Coordinator to confirm if there is space. No RVs or Camping Vehicles are permitted to be parked on the property.
local covid restrictions
You can read about the local Covid-19 guidelines here.
Communication
Our Volunteer Relations Managers will be processing your application and providing all the information you need to prepare for the program. These managers work remotely and can be contacted via the program emails account: californiawildfirerelief@allhandsandhearts.org
Prior (10 - 14 days) to your arrival, the Volunteer Relations Coordinator for your program will be reaching out to answer any last-minute questions and provide any last-minute support. Please be sure to download the Whatsapp app on your phone as this is not only the primary means of communication before the program. It is also the primary source of communication while on the program.