interlude: LA fire mutual aid resources
Author’s note January 19, 2025
What is home? I have pondered this question over the last few weeks as countless people and communities in LA have experienced the loss of their homes. It’s been on my mind over the last few months witnessing Palestinians forcibly displaced from their homes over and over again, as they have been for 76+ years. I have been thinking about it today, a day to engage in civil rights activism and commemorate the historical work of activists and organizers who fought for equal rights at home and abroad. It is the question that forms the crux of my identity as the child of immigrants, for whom home is a concept, a feeling - a thing we can create, mold, and bid farewell to.
There are no words for the heartbreak and devastation of seeing whole communities like Altadena scorched to the ground, knowing how utterly preventable this disaster is and how deeply the system has failed us. I have felt incredibly moved by the mutual aid work that neighbors and organizations are mobilizing in LA and across the country. Their care and swiftness in weaving social & physical safety nets, so antithesis to the apathy and inaction that characterizes the pervading power structure.
I’ve compiled this mutual aid resource list based on the tireless work these folks have been doing. I hope this will be helpful for those affected by the fires seeking direct assistance, as well as allies who wish to help. I consider this a living, breathing post—if there are any resources that should be included and/or adjusted, please let me know.
MUTUAL AID LA NETWORK (MALAN)
Spreadsheet updated daily consolidating resources, organizers, & donation calls
PPEx3 (hands/lungs/eyes):
Gloves
Masks
Goggles
Mutual Aid Group Directory - ongoing list of mutual aid groups across the greater LA area
DONATIONS
Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC) - Firefighter Fund
Funds go directly towards incarcerated firefighters to address immediate needs (meals, PPE, firefighting equipment) & scholarship funds post-release
National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) - Immigrant Fire Relief Fund
Funds to support undocumented day laborers as second responders who are working in disaster recovery
Displaced Families/Folks Directories
California Community Foundation - general support
MUTUAL AID RESOURCES FOR ARTISTS/ARTS WORKERS
via Artsy
LA Arts Community Fire Relief Fund - emergency relief fund for artists and art workers across disciplines who have lost residences, studios, or livelihoods, or have been otherwise impacted.
LA Art World Fire Relief - via GoFundMe. Funds will be distributed to artists and art workers who have experienced full loss or severe damage to their home, studio, or crucial personal property.
aSHE Fund - financial solidarity database for Black Women Creatives affected by fires.
The Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Emergency Grant - provides emergency, need-based financial support to painters, sculptors, and printmakers who have experienced catastrophic, unforeseen events.
Project Phoenix - nonprofit collective of arts professionals offering practical resources. Answers to FAQs encompassing how to access insurance, arts-specific grants, low-interest SBA disaster loans, legal assistance, and emergency housing. Also details how artists’ state & federal tax payments are affected.
Artist supplies donation drive organized by artist @AdamAlessi - email artistreliefLA@gmail.com.
MEALS & HOUSING
Dream Center LA offering emergency shelter to evacuees from Palisades and Eaton Fires.
211 LA - providing temporary housing assistance for evacuees
Hotel Association of LA ongoing list of hotels with availabilities
LA Times ongoing list of restaurants providing food & relief to displaced folks and first responders
LOCAL VOLUNTEERING
Altadena Girls - distribute clothes, hygiene supplies, & beauty products
Santa Anita Park North Lot (Colorado Lot) Donation Center - distribute clothes, diapers, & other necessities
Project Angel Food - deliver meals to people with serious illnesses
Altadena Arco Gas Station Distro (2171 Fair N Oaks Dr) - distribute & donate clothes, supplies, & meals
World Central Kitchen - distribute hot meals to families & first responders at 20+ distribution sites