The wildfires currently raging in Los Angeles, CA, have made national news and devastated a huge swath of the city. As many of you know, Nerdist is based in LA. Specifically our main offices are in Burbank. We’re a part of Legendary Entertainment, and while Nerdist is but a small team, the Legendary family is pretty large. Many of our friends and colleagues have had to evacuate, and some have entirely lost their homes. Thousands of people in the city have had to do so and have lost everything in the process. But the city is banding together to help.
So we thought we’d share a list of resources for anyone out there who’d like to help in the form of time or donations. Horrendously, many are attempting to scam potential donors with fake organizations, but the following have all been vetted.
- World Central Kitchen is feeding people displaced by fires and first responders.
- The LA Food Bank is taking food and money donations as well as volunteers for food drives.
- Pasadena Humane Society is helping to provide food and shelter to the many pets and animals left behind in evacuation zones or people evacuating. They desperately need funds for medicine and food.
- Direct Relief is distributing medications, N95 respirators, and more to impacted communities.
- Both the LA Fire Department Foundation and the California Fire Foundation provide supplies to firefighters and support to the families of fallen firefighters.
- Mutual Aid of Los Angeles Network has a great directory of on-the-ground support initiatives including food kitchens, shelters, and donation drives in the greater LA area.
It’s an incredibly scary time in the city as high winds and exceedingly dry conditions can possibly lead to the spread of these fires or even the outbreak of new fires. Knowing all of these resources are available makes a great deal of difference.
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.
