The wildfire impacts are staggering: At least 24 people killed and dozens missing. More than 62 square miles, an area three times the size of Manhattan, consumed by the blazes. Thousands of homes along with businesses, schools and more burned to the ground.
As multiple fires have ravaged Los Angeles and surrounding cities, companies and foundations big and small in Atlanta are stepping up to help those who have lost everything.
The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation is giving $500,000 to the California Community Foundation’s Wildlife Recovery Fund. Delta Air Lines is donating $1 million to the American Red Cross for wildfire relief efforts, the company announced last week. Atlanta entrepreneur Jasmine Crowe-Houston, founder and CEO of hunger and food waste solutions tech company Goodr, is collecting an 18-wheeler’s worth of donations to send to the LA area. Ryan Wilson, CEO and cofounder of coworking space and club The Gathering Spot, is mobilizing his LA location as a place of refuge for the community.
Credit: Phil Skinner
Credit: Phil Skinner
Crowe-Houston first learned of the fires last week from her younger sister, who sent her pictures of the blaze from her balcony near downtown LA. Immediately, Crowe-Houston knew she had to do something, and that others likely felt the same way.
“I feel like everybody has been looking for a way to help,” she told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I know a lot of people made monetary donations, but some of us just want to know that we’re putting something on a truck that’s going to get to the people.”
Starting Tuesday, she will be collecting donations of air purifiers, water, baby food, diapers, new and gently used blankets, new towels, toiletries, new and very gently used clothing, cleaning products and, lastly, teddy bears.
“People may think that that doesn’t sound like much, but just being able to give a kid a teddy bear or like a stuffed animal, or, you know, a Barbie doll, you’d be surprised that what it can do for some of these kids,” she said.
Donations can be dropped off at Goodr’s fulfillment center on Atlanta South Parkway or its community market at the iVillage @ MLK on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive starting Tuesday through Monday. The company will also pick up collections from other organizations that hold their own donation drives. The goal is to collect 15 pallets worth of items, which will just about fill the 18-wheeler Crowe-Houston has secured.
Goodr is also accepting monetary donations to help cover the fees for the truck and the driver. All in, she estimates it will cost about $9,000 to $10,000 to get the supplies from Atlanta to L.A. The goal is for the truck to arrive next week, and two of Goodr’s L.A.-based nonprofit partners, the Dream Center and My Friend’s House, will handle the supplies distribution.
For Wilson of The Gathering Spot, the fires hit close to home. Though his networking and coworking space is headquartered in Atlanta, he has a location in the West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles, between downtown and Culver City.
TGS L.A. has not been in an evacuation zone, Wilson said, but he did have to shut down last Wednesday because the smoke across the city made it unsafe for employees to leave their homes. Last week, his staff called every one of the about 1,500 L.A. members to check on them. Many had to evacuate, and some lost their homes in the fires. Wilson quickly realized he needed to reopen TGS as a refuge for those displaced.
“In making the phone calls to the members of the community, we learned that because folks had been evacuated, there were many people inside of the community that needed access to Wi-Fi and just a really safe place to go,” Wilson said.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
So TGS has become that safe place, and not just for its paying members. Anyone in L.A. who needs food, access to the internet or just a place to shelter during the day can stop by, Wilson said. First responders can also come and get a free meal.
The Gathering Spot locations in L.A., Atlanta and Washington are also donation drop-off sites for clothing for those displaced. Currently, Wilson said they are asking for the basics, whatever someone might need whose only clothes are what they had on their back when they had to flee — undergarments, socks, pants, coats and tops. People can drop off donations through Friday at TGS Atlanta and they will be sent to L.A.
“We’re going to do our part and open our doors,” Wilson said, “because years from now, folks aren’t going to remember who was a member of TGS and who wasn’t. They’re going to remember who showed up and how did they show up.”
Goodr and The Gathering Spot donation sites
Goodr Fulfillment Center: Donations can be dropped off from Jan. 14 to Jan. 20, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; 650 Atlanta South Parkway, Suite 108, Atlanta, GA 30349
Goodr Community Market at iVillage: Donations can be dropped off from Jan. 14 to Jan. 20, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; 2491 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SW, Atlanta, GA 30311
The Gathering Spot Atlanta: Donations can be dropped off from Jan. 13 to Jan. 17, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; 384 Northyards Blvd NW Building 100, Suite 190, Atlanta, GA 30313
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