Los Angeles is facing an unimaginable tragedy as horrific wildfires continue to burn across the city. But there is one bright spot in the midst of the devastation: People are coming together to support and help friends and neighbors whose lives have been upended by the disaster.
One of the largest donation efforts taking place is currently underway at The Dream Center, a resource center focused on providing support to those affected by homelessness, hunger, crisis and more. The Dream Center is partnering with iHeartMedia to support those who have lost everything in these terrible fires. iHeartMedia and The Dream Center have set up trucks to receive and distribute supplies donated by thousands of local residents who want to do what they can to help their impacted friends and neighbors. As of Thursday, January 16th, 32,000 individuals have directly benefited from these donation efforts, with many more expected to be aided in the coming weeks. Through their collaboration, iHeartMedia and The Dream Center have raised more than $1.4 million, and secured over $2.4 million worth of essential supplies and resources, from the community to help those who have been displaced.
Caroline Barnett, one of the founders of The Dream Center, told NBCLA in an interview of their efforts, "Here at the Dream Center, we've opened up 160 beds for anyone who's been displaced and needs a place to stay. And then along with that, we are taking donations, any type of donation, and then also we're distributing these donations in real time. As they're coming in, they're going right back out. And so we've served about 10 to 15,000 cars a day since we started. And so it just goes to show you how big the need is here in this city."
Barnett added of fellow Angelinos constantly helping one another as the fires continue to cause destruction, "The people of Los Angeles have such big hearts. They really do. And by creating a space for them to come and show their hearts, they show up. We had 1,200 volunteers come yesterday, and every single one of them was needed."
The Dream Center is accepting non-perishable food items, bottled water and sports drinks for hydration, hygiene products (toothpaste, soap, shampoo, feminine products, etc.), clothing and blankets, baby supplies like diapers, formula, wipes and baby food, air purifiers and masks to help reduce smoke exposure, flashlights, batters, portable phone chargers, first aid kits, medical supplies, pet food and supplies, and cleaning supplies to assist with recovery.
Financial donations are also being accepted and will help sustain relief efforts, which can be made at DreamCenter.org/donate.
For evacuation orders and information on evacuation shelters, including evacuation shelters for animals, road closure information and more, see HERE.
Keep up with the latest news on the Los Angeles fires by tuning into KFI Los Angeles on the free iHeartRadio app. KFI has been providing 24/7 news coverage of the devastating fires, even days before they broke out, and continues to provide the latest updates.