PENDLETON — With wildfires decimating swaths of Western Oregon, the Umatilla County Board of Realtors delivered a load of donations to the United Way of the Mid-Willamette Valley on Friday, Sept. 18.

The donations, solicited from board members and community members alike helped to meet the needs of displaced individuals.

Mary Earlley, the executive officer of the Umatilla County Board of Realtors, said she received an email from the Oregon Association of Realtors in search of donations to aid fire victims. She brought the search to the attention of the board and everyone jumped in to help.

“One of core standards is to help the community,” said Earlley of the Board of Realtors.

Earlley said the board collected items such as sleeping bags, air mattresses, tents, prepackaged food and bottle water as well as several cash donations.

After a week of collecting donations, Jerry Baker, the president of the Umatilla County Board of Realtors, took a truck load of donated goods to Salem to drop off at United Way last week. Baker said the experience was overwhelmingly positive and volunteers and staff on the ground quickly sorted through goods to get them to those in need.

Baker said as he was preparing to leave town in the morning he stopped by the Sugar Shack Espresso Bar & Sweet Shoppe in Athena who, after hearing where Baker was headed, made a $300 donation to take along.

“We got about $500 cash and a whole truckload of food and clothing and tents, sleeping bags and water,” said Baker. “We loaded up in Pendleton and took it all down to Salem to the United Way.”

Earlley said the donation drive was originally aimed at local real estate agents, but several community members stepped up and dropped off donations ahead of the trip.

According to Earlley, the Umatilla County Board of Realtors is an education board, meaning the money paid in dues by real estate agents goes toward their education. However, the board frequently solicits funds or goods for projects, such as the donations to fire victims. One such example was a donation drive for victims of Umatilla County’s historic flooding back in February.

“We collected money for flood victims earlier in the year and we have a park we maintain,” said Earrley.

The United Way of the Mid-Willamette Valley is an independent 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization founded in 1937. The organization is among several working to coordinate relief efforts for wildfire victims and publishes a list of desired donations on its website www.unitedwaymwv.org.

The organization is still in need of items like camping stoves, propane canisters, canopies and recovery equipment, such as heavy rakes, tarps, shovels, brooms and wheelbarrows for fire victims. The organization is no longer seeking water, diapers, food items or clothing.

“We all felt good about it and hope we were able to help the wildfire victims down on the west side,” Baker said.