Restore David's Home and Life's Work

It's hard to imagine everything one loses in a fire like the Eaton Fire earlier this year. David Moate lost his Altadena home or more than 30 years and all his possessions. This fundraiser is to help him to recover and rebuild.

David bought his home in Altadena, California, in 1992. He loved that the neighborhood felt more like the countryside than a suburb, and that neighboring Pasadena felt like a town. He had the best of both worlds.

David is a photographer and enjoys landscaping. He lost all of his life's work in the fire: photographs from all over the United States, plus his extensive photographic library and equipment that had taken a lifetime to build. He also lost his large collection of vinyl records.

The most immediate concern for David is that he fell and broke his front tooth as he was leaving the house to evacuate. While he has consulted with dentists, the injury he sustained is such that they cannot (or will not) replace just the broken tooth; they need to do reconditioning work on his whole top jaw to the tune of $60,000.

I'm Gina Cooke, and I live in Prescott, AZ, but I grew up in Los Angeles. David is the next-door neighbor of my best friend, Annie, who also lost her home. When they reconnected after the fire, Annie's husband, Ed, found David needed help, as he had been living in his car. Annie and her husband, Ed, have stepped in to assist him. They asked me to set up a GoFund Me on his behalf, and they will help him connect with his family overseas.

Every donation helps, even $10 or $20. Thank you.