How to help: Freshly formed Big Sur Fire Relief offers a number of easy avenues to donate and volunteer.

It’s the time of year for giving, and no one in Monterey County needs help more than the people of Big Sur.

So far, the response from the community has been awe-inspiring.

In the wake of the fire, Big Sur residents Marie Johnston and Elizabeth Murray organized a Tuesday night meeting of local business owners at Vesuvio in Carmel, and Big Sur Fire Relief was born.

“None of us knew each other,” Johnston says, “But they answered the call. It’s unreal how people have stepped up for this.”

Only days later, there are dozens of donation jars at local businesses where people can donate cash, checks and gift cards to help affected Big Sur residents. All checks should be made out to Coastal Property Owners Association, or CPOA.

The organization is a 501(c)(3), so all donations are tax deductible. (CPOA’s tax ID is 770091132.) Donations can also be made at http://bigsurfire2013.org/, and can be earmarked for a specific resident.

Johnston says there will be over 200 jars out by the end of Saturday, and a list of many of the participating businesses is below.  Johnston also emphasizes that outside if people want to donate material goods, the best way to do that is with a gift card. The group has been inundated with donations, and had to recently acquire a larger warehouse to store the donations, which have yet to be organized. REI and its Marina employees, notably, made a massive donation of clothes within an hour of being contacted.

To that end, Big Sur Fire Relief needs volunteers, and quickly. For the next three days, they need 6-8 volunteers to help sort out the material so that it’s like a store, only everything will be free for those who qualify.

For those interested in volunteering, call Steven Siglin at (949) 350-7642 or volunteer coordinator Jamie Oksas at (831) 277-0074. For more information, visit the Big Sur Fire Relief Facebook page.

Other things those looking to help should know: Giving through CPOA remains by far the best way to donate, as 100 percent of the donations go to residents. By contrast, Gofundme.com charges a 7.9 percent service fee (plus $0.30) for each donation.

More good news: Printworxs in Castroville created ID cards for displaced Big Sur residents, as well as members of the Big Sur Volunteer Fire Brigade, so local businesses can continue to offer discounts and lodging without worrying about fraud.

Some bad news: Another affected Big Sur resident was struck by theft today, and had several tools stolen from his truck as it was parked at the Del Monte Shopping Center. Not cool.

And lastly, here are places to drop donations (by no means comprehensive): Happy Girl Kitchen, La Balena, Carmel Valley Coffee, Carmel Belle, Passionfish, Cantinetta Luca, Demetra, Basil, Eco Carmel, Village Corner, Grasings, Carmel Bistro, Bistro Beaujolais, da Giovanni.