How You Can Help People And Animals Impacted By The California Wildfires

Amidst the devastation of the California wildfires, as thousands grapple with the loss of homes, the lives of loved ones, and pets, the Los Angeles community is coming together to find ways to help one another deal with unimaginable grief as entire communities are wiped from the map. Life as we know it here will never be the same.

Roughly 180,000 people have been forced to evacuate with just the clothes on their backs. More than 10,000 homes and businesses have been destroyed and at least 11 people have died (per authorities, the true death toll is not yet known) and 13 people are missing. Much of the greater Los Angeles area, including famous landmarks, has been left in ruins.

According to officials, the Palisades, Eaton, Kenneth, Hurst, and Lidia Fires have burned more than 37,000 acres throughout Los Angeles. This began on Tuesday morning with the Palisades Fire, which has so far burned through more than 21,000 acres and destroyed an estimated 5,300 structures. As of today, the Palisades Fire is 11% contained. Approximately 75% of the affluent neighborhood, tucked between the Santa Monica Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, is gone.

Feelings of despair and hopelessness prevail but there is also a vast amount of strength and a want to do something to help. Beautiful stories have also emerged. In the Eaton Fire in Altadena, a fireman was filmed consoling a frightened dog named Max with one hand while fighting the fire with the other. Another man rescued a terrified dog lost in the rubble there. As for Max, he’s currently safe at Whittier Dog Club which is taking in animals in need from fire zones and offering free boarding and care.

A sense of despair lingers that can only be mitigated by helping in some way. Rebuilding entire communities will take years. So, what can you do now to help, and what charities are legitimate to donate to?

Helping People One Pizza At A Time

Caroline D’Amore (aka Pizza Girl) has been whipping up hundreds of pizzas to feed the firemen. So many have already donated to the cause and she’s using every dime to feed people.

Her Instagram feed is filled with videos of her handing dozens upon dozens of her signature pink pizza boxes to the exhausted firefighters who have been fighting the raging fires for four days now.

D’Amore called me as she headed towards Topanga Canyon with a van full of pizzas on Friday. “We are on our way to feed the firefighters and the residents there who haven’t left their homes yet,” she said, sounding equal parts exhausted and determined. “There’s no power there and I know they haven’t eaten.”

So far she and her team have made well over 500 pizzas. “We just keep making them! We are going strong! And evacuees eat for free at Pizza Girl,” she confirmed. The much-needed donations have been coming in (the link to donate is in her Instagram bio linked above) with people calling and asking how many pizzas are needed at any given time and buying however many they’re told. “We are making pizzas as we run these and then we go back and get more.”

Pizza Girl will maintain free pizzas for those fighting and those fleeing the fires. “Evacuees need resources and we’re here for however long they need us.” Donations go to much-needed ingredients, supplies, and gas for deliveries to firefighters on the front lines and evacuees at hotels and evacuation centers.

D’Amore was directly impacted by the fires and was evacuated from her Topanga Canyon home. She’s currently living with her husband and three children in a hotel room in Venice. When asked if she knew the status of her home, she told me that her husband was able to get into the area to check. “He saw that the flames were not too far from our house. Our house is still standing because our neighbor has been hosing it down. We lost my dad’s house on Big Rock,” she added.

There was nothing but resilience in her voice. She quickly changed the focus from her situation to her work helping as many people as possible. Her mission will continue even after the fires are put out. D’Amore is in this for the long haul.

“We are working with Hotel Ziggy to create healing centers where people can continue to come and get the things they need. These centers will be a place for peace, sound baths, and to get clothing and food. We plan to be open for the foreseeable future,” she said.

“What’s unfortunate is that the news is focused on celebrities who have lost their second home and it’s overshadowing people who don’t have the same resources,” D’Amore pointed out, recalling one woman who was shaking and in tears when she gave her food and donated clothing for her and her children. “We’re here for all of them for as long as they need us. We will support as many people as we can through this nightmare.”

Many reputable organizations are accepting donations and needed items, including the Red Cross L.A., L.A Fire Department Foundation, California Fire Foundation, and World Central Kitchen. You can also donate clothing to Shop Coop L.A. and The Colleagues.

Helping Animals Big And Small

There are thousands of animals in need of help right now. Social media is filled with videos of frightened wildlife running from the flames as their homes burn with pleas for people to leave out bowls of water and not harm them as they, too, are just trying to survive. There are also a multitude of domestic pets that are lost in the commotion and need rescue while their owners can be found.

TV/Radio host and horse lover Kerri Kasem has filled her feed with ways to help animals, especially horses. In a phone interview, Kasem described her love and devotion for these gentle giants, which began when she was three years old. “I do everything I can for horses,” she said. Of her rescue work, she added how important it is to get them to safety quickly in these types of dire situations.

“They’re incredibly intelligent and very intuitive and they can smell a fire faster than we can,” she explained. “When there are high wind warnings you need to get your horses out immediately or you’ll have major problems. Part of preparedness in a disaster is to have a three-day supply of hay, grain, and water for each horse. You also need to have buckets on hand for water and any medications, ropes, and leather halters. Not nylon halters because those can burn and cause trauma. And you want to be sure to have your name and contact information on each horse’s halter.”

Kasem has 11 years of boots-on-the-ground volunteer and rescue work under her belt with Volunteer Ministers. The organization has sent her all over the world to help during major disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and fires.

Since the California fires started earlier this week, Kasem has been fiercely dedicated to putting those in need of help together with those with horse trailers and other items that are essential for rescue. She has vetted the following organizations for horse and large animal rescue: Believe Ranch & Rescue, Rosewood Equestrian, West Coast Equine Emergency and Disaster Response, Carret Rescue Rangers, Rancho Contento, Sandy Valley Ranch (they have the capacity for 100 horses), and Desert Horse Park (they’re giving free nebulizer treatments to all incoming horses from evacuation areas).

Pausing for a moment, Kasem added how sensitive and unique horses are. “Did you know they have a vibration that’s healing to people? Horses have a calming frequency.” This is yet another reminder of how many lives have been impacted by these devastating fires and just how traumatizing this is for animals, too. Every life matters.

So much help is needed. Here are additional animal evacuation centers and rescues: The Los Angeles Equestrian Center, Pierce College Equestrian Center, Rose Bowl Stadium, Agoura Animal Care Center, L.A. Animal Services, the Compton Cowboys, and the Pasadena Humane Society which has taken in more than 400 displaced animals from the fires, many with burn injuries.

In addition, rescues, including Canine Rescue Club, Best Friends, Stray Cat Alliance, and I Stand With My Pack are raising funds and need fosters. The Santa Monica-based canine social club DOG PPL has also opened its doors to displaced people and their pets.

Despite any feelings of helplessness, there are many ways to help, whether it’s donating money or time or opening your home to people and animals in need. Never underestimate the power of kindness. Even a little goes a long way.