Spokane Wildfire Relief Mission
When the Smoke Clears: How Our Industry Came Together for Spokane
How Team OnDemand and the Print and Promotional Products Industry rallied to support families affected by the Spokane wildfires.
When Disaster Strikes, Recovery Begins
When the smoke begins to clear after a natural disaster, the headlines start to fade. But for the communities left behind, the hardest part is often just beginning.
On August 1, 2026, the Old Trails Wildfire broke out near Spokane, Washington. Following an unusually dry winter and spring, and fueled by wind gusts reaching 40 mph, the fire spread rapidly through surrounding communities.
By August 19, more than 10,000 acres had burned, and the wildfires across the Spokane area had caused an estimated $1 billion in damage.
The numbers that matter most aren't measured in acres or dollars, more than 560 residential structures were destroyed by the Old Trails Fire, while approximately 65,000 people were forced to evacuate, many with little warning. Families lost their homes, their belongings, and their sense of security. For thousands of people in Spokane, life changed in a matter of days. As the fires began to be contained, the recovery effort was getting started.
By the middle of August, Team OnDemand began mobilizing to support the communities affected by the fires. Before we ever booked a flight to Spokane, our first priority was finding the right people on the ground. We needed local partners who could receive donations, provide storage space, and help us understand where supplies would make the greatest impact.
What happened next was a reminder of just how powerful our industry's network can be. A few phone calls turned into introductions, and those introductions quickly turned into action. Thanks to Brenda Speirs and Mike Szymcak, we were connected with Amanda Delaney and Rian Emmerson. Through Rian and the team at Image Source, we established a partnership to rally the Print and Promotional Products Industry around a coordinated relief effort.
With the fires coming right around the start of the school year, many children affected by the fires were preparing to return to classrooms while their families were still figuring out how to recover from losing their homes and belongings.
We decided to focus our efforts on assembling and distributing back-to-school kits to help make that transition a little easier.
Through Rian's connections, we partnered with Taylor'd, who generously offered their Spokane Valley facility as a central location to receive, store, and assemble donated supplies. With the logistics coming together, we put the call out to our industry and our industry answered.
As Rusty and I arrived in Spokane during the final weekend of August, we could still smell smoke in the air as some of the fires, although contained, were still smoldering. It was an immediate reminder of what the surrounding communities had just experienced.
We headed straight from the airport to the Taylor'd facility in Spokane Valley and as we arrived, we didn't even have time to say hello as the facility was full of people who had come together to assemble school supply kits for local children. Volunteers were moving supplies, packing bags, organizing boxes, and preparing everything for distribution. We were put right to work!
We spent the morning and early afternoon assembling kits alongside local volunteers before loading the finished boxes onto a truck and heading out to four distribution locations around the Spokane area.
The loading, unloading, and moving of supplies was probably the most physically demanding part of the trip. But it was also the most rewarding. At each stop, we encountered people who were genuinely grateful for the support. Having participated in disaster relief efforts before, there's something I continue to notice during these experiences; in moments like these, the barriers we create between ourselves seem to disappear. The divisions we see on social media, the differences in our backgrounds, our politics, or our everyday lives suddenly become a lot less important.
What you're left with is something much simpler, people helping people, neighbors showing up for neighbors and communities doing whatever they can to take care of one another.
By the end of our Spokane mission, our network had helped generate donations of more than 7,000 items, representing over $60,000 in donated value. Those supplies made their way into the hands of local organizations and communities working to support families affected by the fires. Beyond the numbers, what stood out to me was the willingness of people to get involved. When I first reached out to my network, messages started coming in from people across the country asking what they could donate, how they could help, and who they could connect us with. Some contributed products. Others made introductions, coordinated logistics, donated warehouse space, or volunteered their time.
One of the patterns I've noticed across our Team OnDemand missions is just how eager people in the Print and Promotional Products Industry are to help when given an opportunity. We work in an industry built around products, sourcing, logistics, distribution, and relationships. Those same capabilities that help us serve our customers every day can become incredibly valuable resources when disaster strikes. We have access to warehouses, transportation networks, manufacturers, suppliers, and thousands of people who know how to get things done. When we bring those resources together around a common purpose, we can make a meaningful difference. Spokane was another example of what that looks like in action.
Help Us Be Ready for the Next Call
One thing we've learned through our disaster relief missions is that the willingness to help is rarely the challenge. The challenge is being ready to act quickly when that help is needed. Natural disasters don't happen on a schedule. When communities are suddenly displaced, the window to organize resources and deliver meaningful relief can be incredibly short. That's why we're building Team OnDemand. Our mission is to provide a blue print for how our industry can pool resources and help communities in need after natural disasters strike and we need YOUR help!
Our goal is to raise $30,000 before the end of 2026.
These funds will help Team OnDemand:
Respond faster: Reduce the time it takes to organize relief efforts and activate our network when disasters strike.
Coordinate more effectively: Improve communication between donors, industry partners, local organizations, and volunteers.
Put boots on the ground: Cover essential travel and logistical expenses so our team can get to affected communities on short notice.
Get supplies where they're needed: Support the last-mile logistics that turn donated products into meaningful relief for families.
Share the stories that matter: Document our missions, recognize the people making them possible, and inspire more of our industry to get involved.
Our Spokane mission showed us what's possible when good people come together with a shared purpose, now we're asking for your help to make sure we're even better prepared the next time a community needs us.
Whether you're able to contribute $25, $100, $500, or more, every donation helps us build the capacity to respond quickly, deliver essential supplies, and support communities during some of their most difficult moments. Thank you to everyone who has supported Team OnDemand, volunteered their time, donated products, made introductions, or simply helped spread the word.
We're building something that our entire industry can be proud to stand behind.
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