Los Angeles Only a few weeks ago, the 9ThirtyLA venue in the Arts District of downtown was a popular event location. Its concrete flooring and wooden beams provided the ideal setting for corporate parties, concerts, and other events.
However, when fires started to ravage the Los Angeles area, a group of volunteers and community organizers transformed an industrial space into a temporary shelter, complete with beds and tables stocked with daily necessities like clothing and personal hygiene items. The location is now one of the several that have been put up throughout the area to assist wildfire evacuees in coping with the destruction, thanks to assistance from local organizations (LoveChild Hospitality, the ANE Foundation, ImpactLA, and the AFTP Foundation).
Waseel Amoura, an organizer at the 9ThirtyLA venue, stated, “It’s been wonderful because our community has given so much that we now have this full warehouse of things that could be a great starting point for somebody who just lost everything.”
Many Angelenos, including Amoura, have hurried to aid those in need after the devastating natural disaster that swept through 40,000 acres in the Greater Los Angeles area and killed at least 24 people left them feeling powerless.
People have been organizing drives for both necessary and unnecessary items in every part of the region, working with nonprofit organizations that have been there for years, and transforming large venues like Santa Anita Park and community spaces like the local YMCA into donation centers filled with seemingly endless boxes and piles of donations that need to be sorted. To provide first responders and evacuees with fresh meals and snacks, some have planned food drives. To create care packages for individuals in need, others have banded together. In order to support the surge of animals rescued during the wildfires, animal shelters and rescue groups have also been flooded with volunteers and donations. Additionally, eateries have kept providing first responders with complimentary meals, and some have even started their own contribution drives.
A large number of people, from celebrities and influencers to regular people from all walks of life, have united to support the city and the area they call home in a massive campaign driven by social media.
Resharing posts from groups that are taking money and volunteers has helped individuals in Los Angeles County spread the word about wildfire survivors’ fundraising initiatives. The Mutual help Los Angeles Network, which disseminates information and activities for mutual help, produced a master spreadsheet of volunteer opportunities that is frequently updated and distributed by many. With comparable modifications, another well-known spreadsheet made by an internet user has also been made available online. At many of these places, the Volunteers Needed label has rapidly changed to FULL TODAY as people swarmed to provide a hand.
Real estate brokers are coming in from New York to assist individuals in navigating their increased housing needs, while volunteer professionals are available to provide services like therapy and haircuts, according to Adrienne Nicole Edwards, founder of the homeless relief group ANE Foundation.
Additionally, local real estate brokers have been posting on social media to assist those who have lost their houses in finding new rental properties and assisting in the provision of furnishings until they get back on their feet.
Dozens of volunteers crammed boxes of evacuee goods into the trailer door of a recently delivered U-Haul truck on Monday around 9:30 LA. They started classifying everything, from bedding to makeup, after unloading the truck box by box.
Mattresses with new seats have been installed in the shelter area, and on top of them are unopened sets of bedding. Additionally, the facility has a refrigerator to keep prescription drugs cool and is stocked with hot meals from nearby restaurants.
All I do is attempt to make it cozy. Edwards added, “We have pallets of brand-new sheets so people can take their choice. You have to give people their space, plus you have to make room for their personal stuff.” A particular color scheme is preferred by some people. We simply wish to restore that sense of normalcy to individuals.
Numerous grassroots relief initiatives were also in progress in Altadena, Los Angeles County, where the Eaton Fire has had a significant impact on the neighborhood. Avery Colvert, a 14-year-old middle school student, launched one of the largest initiatives, founding “Altadena Girls” to assist gather cosmetics and hair care items for the impacted adolescent girls in the neighborhood.
In a matter of days, her group became viral, with tourists like James Charles volunteering and celebrities like Paris Hilton and Charli XCX spreading the word about it. Altadena Girls declared that the donation station was overflowing with donations in a social media post on Monday that showed bins and bags of donations stacked on the pavement outside the location.
Motivated by Colvert, a group of other locals established Altadena Teen Boys Fire Recovery on Monday.
The groups have joined other community initiatives already underway, such as the Pasadena Community Job Center, which is recruiting volunteers to clean up trash in the streets.
Donation bags are still being dropped off at pop-up locations throughout the county by locals.
Wildfire relief initiatives at places like the Westchester Family YMCA have set up stacks of clothing, canned goods, and other necessities for evacuees to pick up on the Westside of Los Angeles, which was severely damaged by the Palisades Fire.
Read more of NBC’s L.A. wildfires coverage:
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California wildfires: What we know about L.A.-area fires, maps, what caused them, who is affected and more
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Maps: See how large the California wildfires are
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How to help victims of the Los Angeles-area wildfires
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What we know about the victims killed in the California wildfires
Additionally, Culver City’s Westside nonprofit Baby2Baby reported that it has been collaborating with “470 partner organizations in LA County spanning schools, shelters, and hospitals to fulfill requests coming in for essential items.” “Over one million emergency supplies for the most vulnerable children and families who have lost everything in the Los Angeles fires including diapers, food, formula, water, clothing, blankets, and hygiene products,” the organization, which supplies essentials to underprivileged children, reported over the weekend. “We are committed to continuing this work for the weeks and months to come,” the organization said.
Similar initiatives were taking place at a secondhand shop run by the global Catholic volunteer group St. Vincent de Paul in Lincoln Heights, on the Eastside of Los Angeles. Days have been devoted by volunteers to planning donations and purchasing goods to deliver to wildfire-affected households.
Volunteers put groups of items into baskets for recipients in office and warehouse areas apart from the main thrift store. People have been contributing everything from jewelry to board games and children’s toys to curling irons, according to Katti Fernandez, the organization’s director of Vincentian services.
Although it’s regrettable that this tragedy occurred, Fernandez added that the beauty that sprang from it is seeing what a wonderful community we have of individuals who want to simply support and give to one another. We’ve received visitors from Orange County and San Bernardino. Just now, one of my administrators here answered a call from New York. Therefore, there is a great deal of eagerness to participate in the endeavor, and it is simply stunning.
Despite the overwhelming generosity, several volunteers and organizers report that they have also received supplies that are broken or unusable.Many people on the internet are advising their fellow community members to provide only what they would use themselves.
According to Fernandez, since donation centers are rapidly filling up, cash donations rather than material ones would be the most efficient way to contribute, especially since many people will want money to restore their houses. “The relief effort will be a marathon, not a sprint,” she said.
They will require furniture in the future. They will require equipment and beds. According to her, children recently celebrated Christmas and opened up incredible items that they had been eagerly anticipating. They will require those small comfort objects to restore their sense of normalcy.
The Westchester Y encouraged members to keep up the momentum of volunteering in the meantime.
“We anticipate fewer volunteers & donations throughout the week, due to work and other obligations,” it stated on Instagram. “Please try to dedicate some time, energy, or resources to come help us out!”