Local organizations have continued to leap into what is sure to be a long recovery process from the Palisades Fire.
The foremost attention has been on giving out life-saving resources to evacuees and others impacted by the fire, as well as the other blazes raging throughout Los Angeles County. Numerous resource drives have been taking place in the area, and will continue to do so this week.
On Tuesday, Santa Monica College will be hosting a Fire Support Resource Drive at its Bundy campus, 3171 S. Bundy Dr. There, the SMC Foundation will collect donations of food, clothing, hygiene products, baby supplies and other necessities to distribute to those in need. The drive will be taking place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
This coming Friday, nonprofit community health center Venice Family Clinic will hold its second donation distribution event from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at its Simms/Mann Health and Wellness Center at 2509 Pico Blvd. The clinic will be accepting donations all week of non-perishable food items and other necessities, to be dropped off at either the Simms/Mann center or the South Bay Family Health Care center at 2114 Artesia Blvd. in Redondo Beach.
Venice Family Clinic CEO Dr. Mitesh Popat told the Daily Press that amidst the “tragic circumstances,” its main area of focus was to stay operational as a health care facility, particularly for those with displaced medications and those that are having adverse effects due to air pollution and smoke inhalation.
Popat, who has previously dealt with tragedies like prior fires in Northern California as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, said his staff has been attempting to remain steadfast in such a strain of time and resources.
“Sometimes when it’s so uncertain and so unclear what’s going on and what the future holds, it’s best to just focus on today, and so we kind of try to keep ourselves grounded on today, to stay calm,” Popat said.
Keeping clinics operational is also a priority for the local unhoused population, which has grown with those that have lost their homes in the fires. The Clinic has also been continuing conversations about how to find unhoused patients that may have scattered in the chaos.
Popat added that in the aftermath phase, the Clinic’s integrated behavioral health services will “come in handy” as the area attempts to pick up the pieces of this tragedy.
“People have lost a lot, and their health has been challenged and compromised, (and) also their emotional health has been tested,” he said. “This has been a stressful event for a lot of people … if it wasn’t you, maybe (it’s been) your loved one, your friend, someone who’s staying with you now because they’re in an evacuation situation.”
National organizations have also been aiding the situation, such as food delivery service Instacart, which has activated Community Carts for 10 Los Angeles area YMCAs. Community Carts are ways for people to donate groceries and supplies directly from the Instacart App, with the service waiving delivery and service fees on all Community Cart orders. To start giving, customers can use the Instacart App orinstacart.com.
“At Instacart, we believe one of the most noble things you can do is to help feed others, and now is a critical time to do so,” Instacart Vice President and Head of Operations and Customer Experience Tom Maguire said. “With Instacart’s Community Carts, you can now donate the exact groceries and supplies that emergency centers in Los Angeles desperately need, and we’ll deliver these for you with no delivery or service fees.”
Beyond personal care, business owners looking for aftermath answers can participate in a Disaster Relief Workshop for Businesses, presented by the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce and the Malibu Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce. The workshop, which begins at 12 p.m. Tuesday, will have speakers such as State Senator Ben Allen and FEMA Private Sector Liaison Kkoby Griffin.
To register, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/palisades-fire-disaster-relief-workshop-for-businesses-tickets-1146526354189.
