( CNN ) -- Nineteen elite firefighters died fighting the Yarnell Hill wildfire last month , and over the past few weeks , there has been an outpouring of support for their families . But what happens when the cards , letters and casserole dishes quit coming ? That 's where Vicki Minor and her team come in . Minor , a 2008 CNN Hero , created the Wildland Firefighter Foundation to provide emergency funds and long-term assistance to families who often have nowhere else to turn . Minor arrived in Prescott , Arizona , shortly after the tragedy and has already provided financial assistance to 12 of the 19 families . On Tuesday , for example , she mailed a check to a grieving mother in Colorado so that the mother could attend her son 's funeral . This kind of rapid response is the foundation 's specialty . `` When a firefighter dies in the line of duty ... their benefits are n't immediately available , '' said Burk Minor , Vicki 's son . `` We know the bills keep coming . '' The group 's plan is to eventually connect with all of the families of the Granite Mountain Hotshots and offer them assistance , whether it 's for immediate needs such as flights or hotels or for long-term needs such as housing or medical expenses . `` They 're in a tremendous amount of pain , '' Vicki Minor said . `` It 's hard enough to lose one . But when you lose 19 that are tight -- a brotherhood -- it 's a domino effect . '' The men who died were part of an elite team of wildland firefighters known as hotshots -- one of just 109 such crews in the United States . Wildland firefighters are a group , Vicki Minor says , that tends to be scattered throughout the country , and their work often takes them far from home . `` Our firefighters are nomadic , '' she said . `` Some of them are from New York , some of them are from Idaho . They 're not usually in one town , and rarely do they ever die in the town they are ( from ) . '' The fact that crews are so often spread out makes her services even more necessary , Minor says . Her group receives private donations , predominantly from other wildland firefighters . The assistance not only helps families get through hard times , it helps them feel that they are still a part of the wildland firefighter community . `` We do long-term recovery with them , '' she said . `` We keep them connected for as many years as they need to be with us . '' Do you know a hero ? Nominations are open for 2013 CNN Heroes . She hopes to unite the families of the 19 with others who have also lost loved ones , so they can help provide emotional support . These are `` people who 've really been there , ( who ) understand ... like no one else can , '' she said . `` They 're going to help these families a lot . We 've got women and family members who will be supporting these people after everything calms down . '' For Vicki Minor , who got involved with the wildland firefighter community more than two decades ago , it 's a labor of love . Since 1999 , her nonprofit has helped thousands of firefighters and their families and raised more than $ 2 million to assist them . She plans to keep doing the work as long as she can . `` I will do anything to protect them and help them , '' she said . If you 'd like to get involved and help the families of the fallen firefighters , visit the Wildland Firefighter Foundation or one of several firefighter charities listed on Impact Your World .
Vicki Minor 's nonprofit provides support to the families of fallen wildland firefighters . It is in the process of helping those who lost loved ones in the Yarnell Hill fire . Do you know a hero ? Nominations are open for 2013 CNN Heroes .