The Eaton fire has burned through 14,000 acres in Pasadena, Altadena and surrounding areas. The Palisades fire has burned through 23,000 acres of the Pacific Palisades and Malibu. And the Sunset, Hurst, Woodley, Kenneth and Lidia fires have burned through an additional 2,200 acres combined.

As a Los Angeles local, I’ve been volunteering daily since the fires started to assist those affected. I’ve seen firsthand and spoken with so many individuals who have lost everything, many coming into the shelters with only the clothes on their backs.

I’ve sorted through donations and gave out food and toiletries to evacuees at Pan Pacific Recreation Center, picked up food from local restaurants who are donating meals and delivered them to both firefighters at our fire stations and evacuees and first responders at the makeshift shelters at the Pasadena Convention Center and the Rose Bowl. I’ve transported overflow donations from donation sites to alternative locations where they are needed. I’ve also utilized my strong online presence to share resources and support to those in need, as well as share accurate information regarding the fires from someone who is experiencing this tragedy firsthand.

I see where the need is and I have the ability to be on the ground here and make an impact. I have had many people reach out to me personally who live in Los Angeles or elsewhere asking how they can help. And so, I’m raising money to personally purchase items here locally and take them directly to the places where they’re most needed. Every dollar makes a difference, whether it helps a family sleep more comfortably tonight or feeds an animal displaced by the fires.

Our donation sites are stocked with clothing and other items that our community has so generously donated, so much so that many people want to donate what they have or volunteer and they have nowhere to do so. However, I have visited and worked with the donation sites directly and asked them firsthand what they need. I’ve been told that many sites are in need of sleeping bags and air mattresses; even after the fires die down and are eventually taken care of, our city will be left with thousands of families who permanently lost their homes and all of their belongings. That’s why we’re currently preparing to support these individuals by finding resources for long-term housing that could last weeks, months or even years.

A donation site in Pasadena told me that they are in need of bath towels and specific types of personal care items. And pet food is another huge need, as many shelters caring for displaced animals urgently need food, as well as evacuees who have thankfully been able to keep their beloved animals with them.

As a house fire victim myself, I can personally relate to the thousands who have recently lost their homes. My home burned down when I was 19 years old, a time when I was already struggling to get on my feet at the beginning of my adult life. I was living in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio, and a lightning strike during a thunderstorm caused a fire that destroyed my entire apartment building. My then-partner and I lost our apartment and all of our belongings, and we were left homeless for months. It was my dream to move to Los Angeles since I was very little, and that fire was one of several incidents that made that hope seem so far off at times. I made a promise that if I ever got out of homelessness, out of poverty, and made it to California, I would give back to those who need it, just like I did. That is my motivation to help as much as I can and why I believe I’m here in LA during this dire time.

If you’re able to contribute, thank you from the bottom of my heart, and LA thanks you. If you can’t donate, sharing this fundraiser is another very important way to help. Together, we can bring relief to families and animals in need and remind them that they’re not alone.