Help Mel & Stephen Recover After Eaton Fire

Never in a million years would I have thought I would be creating a GoFundMe for friends who lost everything in a catastrophic firestorm.

On January 8, 2025, our good friends Mel & Stephen lost their beloved Altadena home of 17 years in the Eaton Fire. Having little time to grab only the bare minimum, they fled their home with only prayers & hope that they would have a residence to return to.

Mel is an Episcopal priest and Stephen a school teacher, both committed to improving people's lives and well-being. Having been evacuated and staying with Mel's brother in Arcadia, they both woke up on Wednesday to go to All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena to help those who were taking refuge there from the fires. It was while there they found out their home was one of the many destroyed.

Having been left with nothing, this is an effort to help raise funds so they may start to put their lives back together. The funds will be used for clothing, food, & basic necessities.

I have known Mel for over 40 years; he was a high school classmate, and his husband Stephen for close to 20. These are good and kind people who have consistently put others' needs above theirs. Both have volunteered at Union Station Homeless Services helping the unhoused. In a horrible twist of fate, they now find themselves without a home.

Any amount will make a difference in their lives as they try to recover and start again.