During the holiday season, it’s common for people to look for opportunities to give back to communities in need. What is uncommon, however, is the effort James ‘Woody’ Faircloth and his six-year-old daughter, Luna, made over the long Thanksgiving weekend. Woody and Luna drove 17+ hours and nearly 1,200 miles from Denver, CO to Chico, CA to deliver an RV to a family who lost their home in the devastating Camp Fire in Northern California – the most destructive and deadliest fire in the state’s history.
Woody is part of the Comcast NBCUniversal family. He’s been a National Account Manager for the Xfinity Community Sales team in Englewood, CO for four years and has been with the company for 15 years.
The Faircloth family Thanksgiving this year began as usual, with plans to cook and relax. In the days leading up to Thanksgiving though, Woody watched the news and heard the stories about the growing number of fatalities and families affected by the wildfires in California. As he began to dig deeper on social media and in the community section of Chico-area Craigslist, he was “blown away” by the number of people who had lost their homes and everything they owned. He felt compelled to help.
One man’s particular post stuck with him, about this man utilizing his old RV for temporary shelter. Woody thought, “Huh, there are RVs everywhere parked outside of homes. Maybe we can find one here in Colorado and bring it out there.”
From that moment on, Woody has been working tirelessly to match donated or deeply discounted RVs to those in need, especially young families or single mothers, first responders and members of the military community.
As of Christmas Day, Woody – with the support of many others from across the country who have joined the cause – has matched 45 families to homes. This means the following fire survivors who are no longer seeking shelter:
- 159 individuals
- 74 children
- 12 single parents
- 3 first responders
- 9 veterans
Woody’s work has given many people who feel paralyzed about what to do first to help those in need an avenue to provide support.
If you ask him what’s next, he’ll say he’s not done yet. Hundreds of families are still on the waiting list, and he’s still hoping to raise more than $15,000 to meet his goal. All proceeds go toward buying RVs, getting them in working order and collecting essential supplies.
Woody’s GoFundMe page is trending, and local media in Colorado and California have followed his story. Several of his social media posts have even gone viral. Even so, families and first responders still need support from this campaign.
To learn more about Woody’s mission, visit his GoFundMe page here or follow him on social media at @RV4CampFireFams. And, if you know of a family in California in need you can email RV4CampFireFamily@Gmail.com.
In the end, Woody says, “This is about being American and doing your part to help someone in need. We are all volunteers. No one is making money off of this work.”
Thank you, Woody, for all you’re doing to help those impacted by the California Camp Fire. We are proud to call you a member of the Comcast NBCUniversal family.
Woody and Luna with the first family of six they donated an RV to over Thanksgiving. Read more on the Chico Enterprise-Record here. PHOTO COURTESY: Carin Dorghalli/Chico Enterprise-Record
Retrofitted 1958 Greyhound bus donated to first responder, Lete Sanchez and her wife on December 9. Read more on FOX 40 here.
Social media post from Woody during his recent visit to Paradise, CA over Christmas. Read more on his personal Instagram profile here.
