SAFETY HARBOR, Fla. — The images of wildfires ravaging communities in California are almost hard to describe.
"Everything I'm watching on the news, I remember what that was and I remember where that was,” said Rachel Fine Wilson, the CEO of Gigglewaters in Safety Harbor.
Fine Wilson has a personal connection, hundreds of miles from a place she once called home.
"I lived in California years ago and right in an area that is currently being evacuated, and I've got tons of friends in the area,” she said.
Now Gigglewaters is crafting cocktails for a cause. People can stop in and order the "Pacific."
"It's a Rumhaven rum, blue curacao, pineapple, and fresh-squeezed lime juice,” said Fine Wilson.
$5 from every cocktail will be donated to the California Community Foundation toward its Wildfire Recovery Fund to help those impacted by the fires.
“This is giggles for good, and this is what we care most about,” she said.
The devastation out west has resonated with people in the Tampa Bay area impacted by last year's back-to-back hurricanes.
"When there's a crisis somewhere, and you see people with their belongings under their arm evacuating, you gotta find some way to help,” said Fine Wilson.
There are plenty of ways to help from home, too. You can donate to organizations like the Red Cross, Salvation Army, and World Central Kitchen, all helping with wildfire relief.
"I think it's so easy to get fixated and scrolling your phone and looking at whatever the crisis of the moment is,” said Fine Wilson. “But if you find a way to act or do something meaningful or contribute in some way, it feels like at least you're not just scrolling. You're doing something to help."
For a list of ways to help wildfire victims, click here.
Brides, families fighting for refunds after event venue closes suddenly
“We’ve struggled so hard to scrape the money to be able to do this for her,” Irizarry said. “She’s my only girl and I wanted this so much for her.”
Couples and families who had weddings and events planned at a well-known venue that abruptly closed claim they’re out thousands of dollars and aren’t being given refunds. Annette Irizarry was supposed to hold her 15-year-old daughter’s quinceañera in August at the Clearwater location and said she’s now out the $6,160 she paid. Without that money, Irizarry said she can’t afford to have her daughter’s celebration somewhere else.
