BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Silver Rail Children’s Fund has launched 90 days of low-barrier emergency help for families, teachers and staff members affected by the events of Oct. 15. One month after the incident, many parents remain unable to return to work while caring for children who cannot leave their side or are not yet ready to return to school. Most families who applied for Paid Leave Oregon have not yet received payments, leaving households without expected paychecks.
The organization provides direct emergency assistance with no extensive paperwork or welfare office visits required. Eligible families only need to register with the fund and present Oregon Crime Victims’ Compensation approval or receive verification through parent volunteers. Support includes direct payments for groceries, gas and utility bills, alongside household assistance, counseling and academic tutoring.
Nicole Ybarrondo, a Silver Rail mother of two and president of the Silver Rail Children’s Fund, said the program was designed to eliminate bureaucratic obstacles for families facing unprecedented financial pressure.
“These are working families who have never asked for help in their lives,” Ybarrondo said. “We don’t want to be on welfare or food stamps. We just need a hand up during the hardest month of our lives. Families kept hitting walls. Forms, waitlists, proving it again and again. It felt demeaning. So we made it simple. Sign up, show up.”
Requests reaching the organization have changed as financial strains deepened over the past month. Parents initially sought counseling resources and opportunities for children to see classmates, but requests have increasingly shifted toward fundamental necessities. Families have asked for assistance with utility bills, groceries and gas money, with some parents stopping trips to therapy appointments and social gatherings because they cannot afford fuel. One mother has already been evicted.
To alleviate these financial burdens, the fund makes direct payments to stores, gas stations and utility providers. Organizers also offer assistance with house moves, home cleaning and handyman tasks, as well as assistance for Thanksgiving and winter holidays. Ybarrondo emphasized the short-term focus of the relief effort.
“We aren’t asking for much,” Ybarrondo said. “Just some support for the next 90 days, almost like disaster relief, so these families can get back on their feet.”
The fund aids families with application paperwork for Oregon Crime Victims’ Compensation, Paid Leave Oregon and the Family and Medical Leave Act in both English and Spanish. For children needing to catch up academically after missing a month of school, the fund coordinates tutoring through the Tutoring Club of Bend and Mathnasium of Bend.
Emotional and mental health support remains central to the program’s offerings. Deschutes County Health Services counselors attend every event to oversee therapeutic play and time with classmates. Small group counseling sessions are held for parents and children, featuring specialized groups for dads, Spanish-speaking families and parents of neurodivergent students or children receiving special education services.
The organization originally formed in the days following Oct. 15 to give children who were in the building a chance to heal through play and trauma-informed care. Parents expanded the mission after recognizing that children could not heal in households struggling with rent and food. All operations are run by 27 unpaid parent volunteers, ensuring all contributions directly support families.
Eligibility extends to Silver Rail Elementary students enrolled or present on Oct. 15, siblings of those killed or affected, children of staff and teachers and Silver Rail teachers and staff regardless of whether they return to the building. More than 140 children and siblings are registered and the organization serves more than 200 families each week. Ahead of school reopening, more than 80 students made flowers for their teachers and a recent distribution served more than 70 families registered for gas and dinner.
The emergency victim services program will continue operating over the 90-day window to assist families while they work to stabilize their households.