Six Months of Wildfire Relief & Recovery in Los Angeles
July 7 marks six months since a series of devastating wildfires broke out in southern California, killing 30 people and displacing tens of thousands. Peace Winds responded by immediately dispatching a team of staff who supported efforts to deliver emergency aid on the ground. Thanks to the generosity of donors in Japan and the United States, we have continued to support the hardest-hit neighborhoods of Los Angeles by issuing grants to four local organizations meeting critical needs in their communities.
In the immediate aftermath of the fires, your contributions allowed Peace Winds to distribute supplies like food, water, air purifiers, cleaning supplies, and hygiene items to local nonprofits and evacuation centers. We also distributed pet food and supplies to local animal shelters as they cared for homeless animals and worked to reunite lost pets with their families.
In the weeks and months that followed, affected communities have been navigating issues related to job loss, ash and debris cleanup, legal claims, and furnishing their new homes as they transition out of temporary housing. Peace Winds has made grants to organizations that are working to meet the wide range of needs: Home Bank LA, Neighborhood Legal Services of LA County, Pasadena Community Job Center, and the San Diego Humane Society.
An initiative of the LA-based nonprofit, A Sense of Home, Home Bank LA provides furniture and home goods to residents who lost their homes in the fires and need help furnishing their new apartments and houses. Home Bank LA manages a warehouse where it accepts donations of new and gently used furniture and home goods and redistributes them to disaster survivors. Volunteers also paint and refurbish furniture so it can be reused, and the organization purchases items like mattresses when new donations are in short supply.
Volunteer repaints a coffee table (left); Staff with furniture recipients in their new home (right)
Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County
Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County (NLSLA) provides pro bono and low-cost legal services to residents of Altadena, one of the hardest-hit neighborhoods of Los Angeles. Many survivors here inherited their homes and do not have titles. Others face issues with their landlords or rental units, and many are navigating FEMA assistance or insurance appeals. Attorneys and other staff host weekly legal clinics, conduct community outreach by distributing legal information, and provide direct legal representation to those in need. Direct assistance is focused on supporting low-income families and individuals, and the majority of survivors the team serves are older persons who do not have family members to assist them.
Disaster assistance clinic with staff and law school volunteers (left); pro bono attorney with client (right)
The Pasadena Community Job Center (PCJC) has long supported immigrant day laborers by connecting them with fair job opportunities that match their skills. When the wildfires struck, PCJC mobilized quickly to help dispatch laborers–who were eager to give back to their community–to clear debris from homes, businesses, roads, and other public spaces. PCJC also provided training courses, certifications, and personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect workers from dangerous toxins in the contaminated ash and debris.
Additionally, PCJC has provided hundreds of families with case management services after the fires. It also runs a food pantry distribution site where staff and volunteers will continue to provide food, water, and essential items to wildfire survivors as part of the organization’s long-term recovery efforts.
Baby supplies at PCJC distribution site (left); day laborers clear wildfire debris (right)
Hundreds of pets were separated from their families after they lost their homes or were forced to evacuate. The San Diego Humane Society (SDHS) took in dogs from the Pasadena Humane Society to free up space so the shelter could house more pets from families affected by the fires. SDHS also housed pets that other shelters could not accommodate. The organization then worked with other nonprofits and animal rescues in northern California, Oregon, and Washington to transfer adoptable animals to them. This allowed SDHS to house and care for many of the wildfire survivors’ pets until they could be reunited with their humans.
Rescue dog at San Diego Humane Society; SDHS and other volunteers prepare shelter pets for rescue flight
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Thank you to everyone who has donated and made it possible for Peace Winds to support the incredible work of these organizations. Click here to read more about our work with each of them. Donations can be made by visiting our donation page and selecting “Los Angeles Wildfires.” Your support helps us continue our recovery efforts.