Quick Take
As devastating wildfires continue to rage in the Los Angeles area, Santa Cruz County residents are searching for opportunities to help. Lookout compiled a variety of ways locals can support the thousands of displaced Southern Californians, along with animals, firefighters and other emergency personnel.
As devastating wildfires continue to rage in Southern California, Santa Cruz County residents — no strangers to the perils of fire season — are stepping up to help their neighbors to the south.
The fires, which began Tuesday in the greater Los Angeles area, had claimed 10 lives and damaged or destroyed more than 9,000 structures as of Friday afternoon. Firefighters from Santa Cruz County have been deployed to assist in fighting the blazes, while local residents are searching for opportunities to help.
Here are several ways local residents can support the thousands of displaced Southern Californians, along with animals, firefighters and other emergency personnel.
Local donation drop-offs in Santa Cruz County
Westside wine bar Apéro Club is collecting donations, including new sheets, baby items and hygiene products through the evening of Wednesday, Jan 15. Aran Healy, who owns Apéro Club with his wife, Hannah Healy, lost his childhood home in the Mendocino Complex fire in 2017. More info here.
Local fundraising events in Santa Cruz County
On Sunday, Jan. 19, pop-up Pogonip Pizza is hosting an event at Woodhouse Blending & Brewing in Santa Cruz from 2 to 7 p.m. All of the proceeds will go to three Los Angeles-based entities and friends of Pogonip Pizza: Side Pie, an Altadena restaurant that burned down; Urban Homestead, a family farm in Pasadena impacted by the fires; and Slice Out Hunger, a nonprofit providing pizza to hungry families during fire relief. More info here.
Fika Bakeshop, a pop-up bakery in Ben Lomond, will donate 20% of proceeds from boxes of Swedish baked goods to World Central Kitchen, an international nonprofit organization that offers free meals to victims of disasters. The boxes are $30 and include Swedish treats like cardamom buns and lingonberry semlor buns. Pre-orders can be placed through fikabakeshopbenlomond.com. More info here.
Santa Cruz-based Climatize, which helps crowdsource funding for renewable energy projects, is donating 10% of January’s revenue to the California Fire Foundation, a nonprofit that works with local fire agencies and community organizations to provide direct financial support to residents impacted by the fires in Los Angeles and throughout the state.
On Jan. 18 and 19, and on Feb. 15 and 16, Linda’s Seabreeze Café in Santa Cruz will host LA Fire Relief Days. During business hours, a portion of proceeds – the percentage has yet to be determined – will be distributed among World Central Kitchen, Pasadena Humane and the American Red Cross. More info here.
Emergency relief
Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE), founded by Sean Penn and Ann Lee, is a global humanitarian organization founded in the wake of a 2010 earthquake in Haiti. For Los Angeles-area fire victims, the organization is working to distribute cash vouchers, protect people from smoke and ash, help people in local shelters contact loved ones and access current information on the fires, and support immigrant communities in Los Angeles.
CORE says it also plans to be part of long-term fire recovery efforts, including helping people safely retrieve important items from their damaged properties and rebuild their homes.
California Community Foundation Fund
California Community Foundation Fund focuses on serving the most underserved and difficult-to-reach communities in California that have been affected by the wildfires.
The organization uses information from Cal Fire and the Centers for Disease Control’s Social Vulnerability Index to provide support and long-term recovery efforts. It collaborates with local foundations and nonprofit organizations to provide emergency aid for survivors and first responders to provide relief.
Donations will go to providing grants to partner organizations that serve communities affected by wildfires.
Food
World Central Kitchen is providing fresh meals to people affected by the Los Angeles wildfires. The organization says cash donations will go to emergency food relief.
World Central Kitchen is a humanitarian organization founded by chef José Andrés. It aims to provide nutritious meals to first responders and families affected by the fires. The organization partners with other agencies on the ground and uses food trucks and emergency kitchens to provide fresh meals.
Los Angeles Regional Food Bank Disaster Relief Fund
The Los Angeles Food Bank provides food assistance during and after crises to people throughout Los Angeles County. Donations to the food bank’s Disaster Relief Fund will help relieve those affected by the Los Angeles wildfires and other disasters.
Children
Baby2Baby is a nonprofit that focuses on providing children in need with necessities like diapers and clothing. The organization operates nationally and is focused on serving impoverished families, but is also increasingly active after natural disasters.
Donations to Baby2Baby will help provide emergency supplies for children in Los Angeles impacted by the fires. The organization works with schools, homeless shelters, and resource centers to provide essential supplies for affected families.
Animals
Pasadena Humane is an animal shelter and resource center for the greater Los Angeles area.
The shelter has been rescuing and treating animals affected by the fires, including tending to their burns and injuries. Animal-control officers enter areas after the fires are cleared to treat animals in need. The shelter also has a helpline that responds to injured wildlife.
Firefighters
Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation
The Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation accepts donations to provide firefighters with emergency fire shelters, hydration backpacks, and wildland brush tools. These resources will help firefighters fight the wildfires and protect those on the front lines.
Medical care
Direct Relief is a humanitarian organization that provides doctors and nurses with the resources to serve communities in need. It’s working to treat patients and fire evacuees who require emergency care.
Donations help pay for emergency health kits, wildfire kits and support to health care organizations on the ground in the communities of Los Angeles.
The International Medical Corps provides emergency relief and long-term medical support to communities in crisis worldwide. Its focus is on health care, food, water and sanitation.
Monetary donations will help survivors and victims of the wildfires in Los Angeles. The organization’s response teams provide hygiene kits, first aid supplies, and other health care services. It also helps clinics respond to crises, provide emergency shelter and temporarily houses evacuees.
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