Bringing Relief to Families Affected by the L.A. Fires

Read below to see how HOPE worldwide is responding to the Los Angeles wildfire disaster.

UPDATE: Feb 4, 2025

🚨 L.A. Wildfires Update: Volunteers Serving in Pasadena 🚨 

Last week, HOPE worldwide’s Disaster Response team, made up of staff, volunteers and local church partners, actively served at an L.A. Wildfire Resource Hub. This hub was hosted in collaboration with Kaiser Permanente, California Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (CAVOAD), Emergency Network Los Angeles, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), and numerous national, state, and international non-profits.

The resource hub was established to support those recently displaced and affected by the wildfires by providing essential support and resources, including food, clothing, blankets, financial assistance, wildfire education, personal protective equipment, cleanup tools, crisis counseling, emotional & spiritual care, and more. 

Over 100 HOPEww volunteers were gathered from all over the Los Angeles area at the Wildfire Resource Hub in Pasadena from Monday, Jan 27 - Saturday, Feb 1. In the hub, families had access to HOPEww and other resource partners which had been invited into the hub to provide relief to the community.

Volunteers worked tirelessly for up to 10-12 hours per day to assist thousands of people in need. They spent a total of nearly 1000 combined hours last week serving these impacted communities and families who lost their homes by providing services and resources, which included:

• 1707 gloves and mittens 
• 370 hats 
• 240 blankets 
• Food and beverage distribution
• Translation assistance
• Resource hub assistance for approximately 1000 people per day

Thank you to the dozens of volunteers who served those in need all week, and to those generous donors who made these relief efforts possible.

HOPE worldwide would like to extend a special thanks to Majano’s Coffee for collaborating with us on such short notice when our volunteers identified the need to provide coffee and hot chocolate to guests waiting outside in below 40-degree weather, and to everyone who made this event possible.

Stay tuned for more volunteer opportunities as this is an active disaster and circumstances on the ground continue to develop.

UPDATE: January 23, 2025

🚨 Volunteer Opportunity in Pasadena, CA 🚨

HOPE worldwide’s Disaster Response team has been coordinating with federal and local authorities including FEMA, the Red Cross, L.A. county leaders, and CAVOAD (California Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster), to continue to mobilize resources in Los Angeles in response to the devastation from the recent wildfires. 

Yesterday, HOPE worldwide was tasked by CAVOAD to manage a component of the Wildfire Resource Hubs, which operate in partnership with the FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers. CAVOAD is one of the main organizers of disaster relief organizations operating in California for the L.A. fires. The resource hubs are places designated for displaced or impacted individuals and families to go to receive services and resources from non-profit agencies.

These hubs are a chance for VOAD-vetted agencies to be able to offer direct services (i.e. clean-up kits, crisis counseling, emotional & spiritual care, financial assistance, and food boxes) to those impacted by the recent fires. In the hubs, families will have access to HOPEww and 40+ non-profit partners which have been invited into the hub to provide relief to the community.

In addition, a disaster relief committee has been formed with regions of the LA Church of Christ who were most affected. This committee continues to coordinate with our team at HOPEww to meet the ongoing needs of members of these communities whose property was damaged by the fires.

We are assembling volunteers to help these displaced families, so if you live in the L.A. region and you want to volunteer, you can click the link below to sign up.

The resource hub is currently scheduled for an initial 6-day operation (Jan 27 - Feb 1) from 10 AM to 7 PM on weekdays and 10 AM to 5 PM on Saturday, February 1st. We are registering 20 volunteers per day (Jan 27 - Feb1) from the Los Angeles area only, so please only volunteer if you live in the L.A. area. 

Our team is excited for this partnership opportunity and for the long-term recovery response that is developing. The HOPEww Global Disaster Response team is honored to be on the ground to organize and coordinate this relief effort. Thank you to all those who continue to support our mission. 

Palisades Fire: The largest fire, covering over 17,200 acres in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, remains uncontained. It's already considered one of the most destructive fires in LA's history, destroying around 1,000 structures including homes, schools, and businesses.

Eaton Fire: Located in the northern part of LA, particularly affecting Altadena and Pasadena, it has burned approximately 10,600 acres. This fire has resulted in at least five deaths and has forced significant evacuations.

Other Fires: Additional fires like the Hurst, Lidia, and Sunset fires have also been reported, affecting areas north of San Fernando, Acton, and Hollywood Hills respectively. 

Evacuations: Over 130,000 people have been ordered to evacuate due to the immediate threat to life and property, with more than 180,000 people potentially affected by evacuation orders.

Firefighters are facing challenges due to high winds, dry conditions, and water shortages in some areas. The situation remains critical with the fires largely uncontained and weather conditions not expected to improve immediately, posing ongoing risks to both life and property.

More news will be forthcoming on our continued relief efforts as we assess the rapidly changing situation. Check back here for updates.

Volunteer opportunities will become available after the fires have been contained.

At HOPE worldwide we strive to help families recover because we believe that in times of crisis, we should never feel alone. You can help inspire greater hope amidst this terrible disaster - please donate today.