California Love
Resources for how to help
If you would like to help the hundreds of thousands of people impacted by the fires in LA, the most immediate and practical need is MONEY. There will be more needs as time passes, but for now, in the midst of the crisis—which is STILL VERY MUCH ONGOING—money is the main way to help, especially if you’re not in LA.
I spent this weekend working in my yard. In the backyard, I’m dismantling old garden beds and clearing weeds and older plantings to make space for the tiny office I’m going to build for myself. (More on that adventure soon!)
In the front yard, I finally put down the mulch I’ve been meaning to add to my DIY lawn-killing mission (sheets of cardboard + landscape fabric + mulch + time + new native plantings will hopefully = a drought-tolerant Monarch butterfly-friendly habitat).
It felt good to get dirty, to have my hands in soil, to lug and relocate heavy pavers, to transfer sturdy succulents. I’ve spent the week glued to my screens, attempting to process and react to the fires devastating the city and state and people I love so much. I pulled weeds, cut brush, spread mulch, and very audibly said, over and over, I’m so fucking grateful to have this yard to care for. I’m so grateful we have this house today.
I’ve cried and donated and clicked and scrolled and spiraled and sent a million texts and DMs to check-in on what still feels like an endless list of friends, colleagues, friends of friend. Are you OK and I’m so so sorry and Please be safe and also just a lot of Fuuuuuck.
I’m born and raised in the Bay Area, where there’s this enduring myth that we’re supposed to hate LA—it’s so far from true. I love and respect Los Angeles deeply. The coast, the chaos, the congestion, the cool. The concrete and the canyons and the coyotes that wander both. It’s absurd and flashy and it’s humble and hard-working. It’s creative and innovative and it’s gross and it’s gorgeous. I love it so much that I will admit it here, in writing: I rooted for the Dodgers in the 2024 World Series. And I’M A GIANTS FAN. IYKYK. But come on—against the Yankees?! California love wins.
Someone online said that NorCal and SoCal are like siblings—we talk mad shit to each other but when someone ELSE comes in and talks shit about one of us?! No way. Gloves off.
I am aware in my periphery that people on television and the internet are saying stupid shit—about the fires, the response, the people in charge, the rebuilding process. I could watch those clips, read those comments…and then what?! Feel more anger? Drain more of my precious battery seething about how cruel the trolls are? As we head into this new regime I feel wildly protective of how much of their BS I let in.
I cannot be bothered. I have limited time, limited energy, limited patience. What I DO have is love, and a commitment to be useful, productive, and of service.
Community. Resilience. Care. Mutual aid. These aren’t just nice ideas. It’s literally how we’re going to survive these next four years, and beyond. This is how we’ll respond to the forthcoming disasters that await us. I’m not trying to be a downer—thinking about how people show up when the shit goes down actually gives me hope.
Like I said at the top, right now the best way to help is direct monetary donation. But the needs will continue, like so intensely, and will change. In the coming days/weeks/months think about what else you have to offer, especially when it comes to connections and skills. Who and what do you know? Do you work for a company that can donate products or items? I’ve seen companies donating backpacks, luggage, carseats, and strollers. Who do you work for and what can they do?
I’ve seen photographers and musicians offering to loan out their equipment to those who’ve lost theirs. Therapists offering counseling, local businesses offering up spaces for storing supplies. An artist offering to draw portraits of homes that were lost. I’m offering free virtual author visits to schools impacted by the fires. I will happily show up on Zoom and do my book talk author thing—that is a unique service I can offer.
Below are just a few resources—there is SO much out there, but hopefully this can help you figure out where and how to direct your money, time, and energy. Please share, and please let me know additional resources I should add.
GO FUND MEs:
Is it cool that we’re just gonna crowdfund our way through disaster and devastation as if we don’t live in a first-world country that should theoretically help its citizens? No, but hey—this is what we’re working with right now.
The volume of GundFundMes (GFMs) is staggering—it IS NOT your job to fund them all! You can’t! (Unless you’re insanely rich, in which case…hi! Thanks for reading my Substack. Can we…talk?!)
One strategy is to choose one at random, and give big what you can to them—then share with others. Make a random person or family “your thing”, and drum up as much support as you can. Ask your co-workers to chip in. If ten people you know give $20, that’s $200! (MATH!!!) Or just determine an amount you can donate, and divide it among a number of folks in need—if you’ve got $100 to donate, you can give five families $20 (MORE MATH!)
This is a Google Doc of GoFundMes for Black families in Altadena who have lost everything or been displaced. It is being updated HOURLY, and is organized in order of the % of the goal reached. Altadena is a diverse community with an especially strong and historic Black community that includes many multigenerational families—so many elders and their children and grandchildren have lost everything.
(Speaking of Altadena, go here to see some beautiful photos of the community taken by my friend Tina’s husband David Uzzardi.)
This is a list of GoFundMes for families whose children attend Odyssey Charter School in Altadena—it has two campuses, and one of them is gone. I have two friends whose kids go to school here—thankfully both still have their homes, but the number of families and employees (from teachers to crossing guards) from the school who’ve lost everything is just beyond. Consider choosing a few families and doing what you can to support them.
Here is an enormous list of GoFundMes compiled by writer Rachel Davies. This link also includes a list of GFMs that are less than 30% funded, and she’s updating it regularly (incredible work, wow!)
Firefighters have lost their homes too! Here is a link with several GFMs to support firefighters who have lost everything.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES + OTHER WAYS TO HELP:
If GoFundMes are not your preferred method or if you’re looking for specific resources/places to volunteer/donate, check out this spreadsheet that Mutual Aid LA Network is actively compiling and updating. It is massive, detailed, thorough, and being updated in real-time.
Reminder: Donations are awesome but your old clothes are NOT. Do not treat donation drives like a thrift store where you can offload the stuff you don’t want.
On that note: Gift cards are really really REALLY helpful. Families who’ve lost everything or are still evacuated can’t take on tons of material donations, and often need to replace very specific personal items. After the 2018 Camp Fire that burned the town of Paradise to the ground, I raised a bunch of money on IG and drove around Chico and handed out gift cards to fire evacuees. After a wad of cash, gift cards are the most practical and helpful thing to give. If you know someone heading down to LA to help, purchase a stack of gift cards (Target is ideal because they sell such a wide variety of basics and essentials, also practical places like CVS, gas stations, etc) and send them down. You can also mail gift cards to organizations seeking donations, like this church in Pasadena:
You can call them: 626-795-0827 and ask if they have capacity to receive gift cards in the mail. Then ask what stores would be best!
If you’re in LA and want to volunteer, first of all: THANK YOU! Second: check this spreadsheet. The good news is A LOT of folks want to help! The complicated news is many places are inundated and maxed out on volunteers, and/or needs shift frequently. Check to see where help is needed!
A woman named Carmela in Altadena is organizing an effort to help replace the books that kids lost in the fires—she’s raising money in the GoFundMe, and is also asking Altadena residents to share specific book titles that they would like replaced. (If you know a kid who lost books in the fires their family can contact cbforaltadena@gmail.com)
The Pasadena Humane Society has taken in over 400 animals from the Eaton Fire alone—this includes MANY animals who are severely burned/injured/sick. They are in need of donations to help them care for all these animals!
Octavia’s Bookshelf is a Black-owned independent bookstore that has turned into a mutual aid space—food pantry, clothing, resources, etc. Check their IG for updates on donations and volunteer needs, but also you can Venmo them directly to support their ongoing efforts: Venmo is @octaviasbookshelf. And yes, the store is named for Octavia Butler, and yes, Octavia Butler was born in Pasadena and grew up there and in Altadena. She is buried in Altadena. Dana, the protagonist of Kindred, one of my favorite books of all time, lives in Altadena. And, yes yes holy shit yes, in Parable of the Sower the fires that ravage the fictional Los Angeles-adjacent town of Robledo, occur on Feb 1, 2025…
Finally, a few loving reminders:
Climate change is REAL
Reading stupid comments on social media is bad for your health
Arguing with people who make stupid comments on social media is even worse for your health and has literally never in the history of the world yielded a net positive result
Not everyone in LA is rich. These fires have devastated people from ALL income brackets, and also
That doesn’t really matter because fire and losing everything is devastating and traumatizing no matter how rich you are and suggesting otherwise is fucking lazy and mean
And also it’s totally OK to have a GoFundMe even if you’re “wealthy” and even if the house you lost was really nice and fancy. It’s still horrific and overwhelming and everyone deserves to be able to ask for help
If you’re communicating with or commenting on a post from someone who has been impacted by the fires in ANY way please just be kind. Say I’m so sorry. Ask I’m here for you. Please don’t say things like “It’s just stuff!” or “But you have insurance, right?!” or “At least you’re alive!” It’s very understandable if you’re not sure WHAT to say, so again: “I’m so sorry. This is so horrible. I’m here for you. I love you” will suffice.
Finally: I want to validate ALL your feelings. It’s OK to feel really fucked up and sad even you don’t live in LA/your house wasn’t impacted/you don’t personally know anyone who lost everything/etc etc etc. It’s really OK and reasonable to have big emotional reactions. Empathy is beautiful. Exhausting, but beautiful. And on the flip side, it’s really OK if you’re at emotional capacity and CAN’T feel this too much. I have dear friends who have so much PTSD from previous fire disasters, and to keep their brains and hearts safe, they can’t go all in on this. I get it. It’s all OK. Put your oxygen mask on, keep yourself safe, and let’s help each other.
Thank you.