Kindling hope after wildfire loss
Project Spark supports those affected by wildfires with notes of encouragement from past fire survivors, gift cards, and a trusted community offering helpful resources and heartfelt connection in the aftermath of loss.
How it works
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WRITE A NOTE
Past survivors write letters to those currently facing loss.
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DONATE A GIFT CARD
Anyone can donate gift cards for food, clothes, toys, school supplies…whatever’s needed most.
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SPARK HOPE
We bundle notes with gift cards and send them to families experiencing loss via their trusted school communities.
What we do
We match gift cards with handwritten notes from one survivor to another and send them to families facing wildfire loss.
Each card is a reminder that:
This loss doesn’t define you.
Others have walked this path and found joy again.
Healing is possible…both giving and receiving can help it grow.
Luca & Giulia finding a green sprout they named “Hope” growing on their family’s property six months after wildfire took their home in the 2017 Napa Atlas Fire.
Who we are
Hi, we’re siblings Luca and Giulia. When we were six and eight years old, we lost our home in the 2017 Napa Atlas Fire. In the middle of all that loss, our friends, family, and community surrounded us with kindness and support—something that will always stay with us.
The inspiration for Project Spark began with one man who had lost his home in a San Diego wildfire in 2007. He drove ten hours north to attend a community meeting for fire survivors and quietly sat at a table in the back with a stack of envelopes.
As our family was leaving the meeting, he called us kids over and handed us two envelopes. Inside each was a handwritten letter from his neighbors, people who had also lost everything and wanted to share a little hope. As he gave the envelopes to us, he said:
“I know things feel really hard. I’ve been there. One day you’ll feel better. And when you do, please pay it forward.”
We never forgot those words.
When wildfires returned to Napa Valley three years later, we decided it was our turn to keep the spark going. What started as Cookies for Cards and Pay it Forward Pasta has grown into what Project Spark is today. Since 2020, we’ve raised over $30,000 and shared hundreds of handwritten letters of hope and gift cards with wildfire survivors across California, turning loss into love one letter at a time.