A few ideas for doing our neighborly part to help victims of this week’s Summit Wildfire in the Santa Cruz Mountains:

Support the American Red Cross evacuation centers, by contacting the Santa Clara Valley Chapter:

[SAN JOSE, CALIF. – May 22, 2008] – The American Red Cross is on the scene providing assistance to the residents affected by the Summit Fire currently sweeping the Santa Cruz Mountains, causing mandatory evacuations of more than 300 homes. The American Red Cross has opened temporary evacuation centers in the Crosetti Building at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, located at 2601 East Lake Avenue in Watsonville, and at the Los Gatos Community Center located at 208 East Main Street in Los Gatos.

Charitable cash donations are welcome any time.

Help Relocated Pets: SanJoseInside has published some first-hand coverage, and information about pets has been added as the first comment. One of the San Jose MetBlogs writers has some pet evacuation information from a source in Santa Cruz County. IN addition, Sacramento-based United Animal Nations is offering financial assistance to impacted pet owners.

Connect via Social Networks: A unique way to provide support is to use various online networking tools to identify ways to help … or just offer encouraging words of comfort an support. Try following a news feed aggregator like this one supported by KUSP.org public radio.

Oh … and Take Care of Yourself, too: CBS5 “Eye on Blogs” reminds everyone that Santa Clara Valley health officials are advising that residents take precautions to protect from smoke and other pollutants:

The visible smoke and higher pollutants are a result of the Summit fire in the Santa Cruz mountains. Individuals with respiratory problems, young children and older adults should limit their exposure to smoky air by staying indoors as much as possible. Windows and doors should be kept closed to prevent indoor air from becoming dirty.

“When heavy smoke is visible outside, it’s important to take steps to reduce the chance the having breathing problems,” said Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, Health Officer of Santa Clara County. “People should stay indoors, keep windows, doors and vents closed. If you have one, it is a good idea to run your air-conditioner.”