LOS ANGELES — Just a few weeks ago, venue 9ThirtyLA in downtown’s Arts District was known as a hip event spot, its wooden beams and concrete floors serving as the perfect backdrop for concerts, corporate parties and much more.
But after fires began to devastate the Los Angeles area, community organizers and a wave of volunteers transformed an industrial site into a makeshift shelter, with beds and tables stocked with necessities, like produce. hygiene and clothing. With the help of local organizations (LoveChild Hospitality, the ANE Foundation, ImpactLA and the AFTP Foundation), the venue has become one of countless locations set up across the region to help wildfire evacuees cope to the devastation.
“The beautiful thing is that our community has given so much that we now have a whole warehouse of things that could be a great starting point for someone who has just lost everything,” said Waseel Amoura, organizer of the 9ThirtyLA site.
Feeling helpless in the face of the devastating natural disaster that killed at least 24 people And swept 40,000 acres In the Greater Los Angeles area, many Angelenos like Amoura rushed to help those in need.
In every corner of the region, people have organized drives for essential and non-essential items, collaborating with nonprofit groups that have served the area for years and transforming community spaces (like local YMCAs) and huge places (like Santa Anita Park) into donation centers. lined with seemingly endless piles and donation boxes to sort through. Some have organized food drives to deliver fresh meals and snacks to first responders and evacuees. Others have stepped up to make care packages for those in need. Animal shelters and rescue organizations have also been flooded with donations and volunteers to help. support the influx of animals collected during fires. And restaurants continued to offer free meals to first responders, some organize their own donation drives.
This is a widespread, social media-fueled effort that has not one clear leader but several – from celebrities and from influencers to regular people, all walks of life came together to support the city and region they call home.
Across Los Angeles County, people have amplified fundraising campaigns among wildfire survivors by sharing posts from organizations accepting donations and volunteers. Many have circulated a regularly updated master volunteer opportunities spreadsheet created by the Los Angeles Support Networkwho shares mutual aid efforts and resources. Another popular spreadsheet created by an online user has also gone live, with similar updates. As people flocked to help, the “Volunteers Wanted” label in many such places quickly became “FULL TODAY.”
Adrienne Nicole Edwards, founder of the homeless outreach organization ANE Foundation, said professional volunteers are available to offer services such as haircuts and therapy, while real estate agents are also arriving from New York by plane to help people meet their new housing needs.
Local real estate agents have also been posting on social media, helping those who lost their homes find new spaces to rent and working to provide them with furniture as they get back on their feet.
On Monday at 9ThirtyLA, dozens of volunteers gathered outside the trailer door of a U-Haul truck that had just arrived, filled to the brim with donation boxes for evacuees. Box by box, they unloaded the truck and began sorting everything from makeup to bedding.
In the shelter area, mattresses are equipped with cool seats, on which unopened bedding sets rest. The property is also stocked with hot meals from local restaurants and a refrigerator is available to keep medications cold.
“I just try to make things comfortable. You have to give people their space, and you also have to make room for their personal belongings,” Edwards said, adding, “We have pallets of brand new linens for people to choose from. Some people prefer a certain color palette. So we just want to give people that sense of normalcy again.
Across Los Angeles County, in Altadena, where the Eaton Fire severely affected the community, many local relief efforts were also underway. One of the biggest initiatives was organized by 14-year-old middle school student Avery Colvert, who started “Altadena Girls” to help collect beauty and hair care products for concerned teen girls in the area.
Within days, her organization grew in popularity, with celebrities like Paris Hilton and Charli XCX sharing the campaign and visitors like James Charles coming to volunteer. In a social media post Monday showing donation bins and bags stacked on the street outside the donation site, Altadena Girls announced it was “beyond full» with donations.
On Monday, several other local sections were formed Altadena Teen Fire Recoveryinspired by Mallard.
The organizations joined other existing community efforts, including the Pasadena Community Job Center, which is enlisting its volunteers to sweep debris from the streets.
County residents also continue to drop off donation bags at pop-up locations across the region.
In West Los Angeles, which was hit hard by the Palisades Fire, wildfire relief is moving to places like the Westchester Family YMCA have laid out piles of clothing, canned food and other essentials for evacuees to collect.
Read more about NBC’s coverage of the Los Angeles wildfires:
Baby2Baby, a Westside nonprofit in Culver City, also said it worked with “470 partner organizations across Los Angeles County, spanning schools, shelters and hospitals, to meet requests for essential items.” During the weekend, the organization which provides basic necessities to children living in poverty, said he had provided “more than a million emergency supplies for the most vulnerable children and families who lost everything in the Los Angeles fires, including diapers, food, formula, water, clothing , blankets and hygiene products, and we are committed to continuing this work in the weeks and months to come.
In Lincoln Heights, on the Eastside of Los Angeles, similar efforts were underway at a thrift store run by the international Catholic volunteer organization St. Vincent de Paul. Volunteers spent days organizing donation drives and purchasing items to distribute to families affected by the wildfires.
In warehouses and offices separate from the main thrift store, volunteers sort collections of items into baskets for recipients. Katti Fernandez, the organization’s director of Vincentian services, said people have donated everything from curling irons and jewelry to children’s toys and board games.
“It’s unfortunate that this tragedy had to happen, but the beauty that has come out of it is seeing what an incredible community we are, made up of people who just want to help and give to each other ” Fernandez said. “We had people from San Bernardino, Orange County. One of my administrators here just answered a call from New York. So there’s a ton of desire to be a part of this effort, and it’s just beautiful.
Even amid this outpouring of goodwill, some organizers and volunteers say they have also noticed damaged or unusable donations arriving. Lots online urge other community members to only donate what they would feel comfortable using themselves.
While donation centers are filling up quickly, Fernandez said, the most effective way to help may be to contribute financially rather than materially, especially since many families will need money to rebuild their homes. But she noted that the relief efforts will be a marathon, not a sprint.
“Eventually, they will need furniture. They’re going to need beds, household appliances. The kids just celebrated Christmas and they opened some amazing toys that they were looking forward to,” she said. “These little comfort items will be necessary to give them a sense of normalcy. »
Meanwhile, the Y in Westchester urged people to keep up the momentum when it comes to volunteering.
“We anticipate fewer volunteers and donations throughout the week, due to work and other obligations,” it says. wrote on Instagram. “Please try to spare some time, energy or resources to come and help us!”
