Ted Bond (Lead Vocalist/Guitarist/songwriter for the band Craig’s Brother), his wife, and their children, have been displaced by the recent wildfires in Northern California and are unable to return home. They’ve had to evacuate and will not be allowed to return for some time. Basically they are homeless and just living day by day. CB guitarist and songwriter, Steven Neufeld, has started a Go Fund Me just to help Ted and Family get by during these difficult times. A lot of families are struggling through not only the pandemic, but also loss of work and income as a result and add to the mess of 2020 with these wildfires and you just have a terrible whole year. Everyone is on edge and I’m positive that anxiety and depression are hitting folks like no tomorrow. Let’s lift up our fellow brothers in prayer and also maybe chip in a few bucks to help out. Read more about this fundraiser right here. You can read the latest update below this message.
TED NEEDS YOUR HELP!!!
Ok, guys… so I wish we had better news. But basically Ted and his family found out today that they may, at some point be able to return to their home, maybe in several weeks, maybe in a month or so.. BUT here’s the kicker: the water is totally unusable in their area of Boulder Creek. Fires damaged above-ground water pipelines, melted their plastics into toxins/a tar-like substance that are now seeping into the town’s water supply.
Authorities have deemed it illegal for them to reside at home, due to the local water being dangerous for use.. they aren’t even able to BOIL it before use.. the toxins are that dangerous. No showers, no cooking, no flushing toilets. So long story short.. as much as they had hoped they could go home at some point, they can’t.. not to live, at least. They may be able to go grab their stuff really quick and make a trip to pack the minivan full of their most precious valuables, and then leave, if the authorities allow it in the future. They are screwed.. homeless.. 3 kids (ages 1, 3 and 17), 2 adults, and a dog.. cooped up in a roadside motel away from the fires, but still inhaling the dark smoke that surrounds that region.
Neighbors have been allowed to return home because they lived a safe distance from the fires, but the Bonds have not been able to, since they live too close. Those neighbors reported that they returned home to find ASH and soot on everything they owned.. INSIDE their homes. The interior of Ted’s house is likely ruined for the most part, along with their stuff. They are worried about looters, as well (as there has been much of that activity in the area, sadly. Talk about adding insult to injury.)
The Bonds need MORE HELP than originally estimated. MUCH MORE. A grand is superb start, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kind donations so far, but at this point they need rent money for a short term rental for a month or two until this whole thing gets sorted out.
I have upped the goal to $5,000.. which will more effectively get them through this for the estimated 1-3 months.
One silver lining is that Ted & I (once they are able to find out where they will live and settle in) could spend time together finishing his lyrics and starting the arduous vocal tracking phase of the upcoming Craig’s Brother record.. so in a sense, the funds will also indirectly support artists/members of CB being able to get away from family endangerment/stress that has come from this horrible disaster unfolding, and getting to take their minds off of fear & uncertainty, and onto the hard work that comes with putting some pen to paper.. pretending like the world isn’t ending right now (lol.. only half-joking) and moving forward with some musical productivity that will benefit the fans/supporter of our band. We have a lot of songs to track and we don’t want to sulk in the negative energy of Ted’s situation. I want to empower the Bond family to SURVIVE and end up being stronger in the end from all this; resilient.
I appreciate you letting me update you all about Ted’s worsening situation, and thank you for understanding that it is up to US, Ted’s friends and fans to support the Bond family to the max during this daunting time. They deserve better than this. We all do, and please know that I would do the same for anyone in his position if I was able! Please kindly give what you can today.. and the world will thank you with good karma and favors owed back to you. Ted & I will do our best to show our love back to you guys by busting out our new music, which is still planned to be headed your way in a few months (by 2020’s end).. maybe we can sneak something good into this year, even if it’s right at the very end of it. 🙂