On January 7, 2025, catastrophic wildfires have erupted all around Los Angeles county. Almost a week later, the most major of these fires, the Palisades fire affecting the area around Pacific Palisades and parts of Santa Monica and the Eaton fire affecting Altadena and Pasadena are still yet to be fully contained.

While the Sekai Project office and a number of our staff reside in Los Angeles county, other than sporadic power outages, everyone is safe. However with the immense destruction and tragic loss of life all around, our hearts with those that have been affected by this ongoing  disaster. Los Angeles is a massive city and even if we are not individually affected, it’s hard not to know someone who has been affected by the fires.

If you would like to help, here are some suggested organizations to donate to.

(List from Vogue magazine: https://www.vogue.com/article/california-wildfires-how-to-help)

SoCal Fire Fund – https://www.eifoundation.org/fiscally-sponsored-funds/socal-fire-fund/

A community-centered fund that aids students, school employees and families organized by the philanthropic arm of entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE) and the Los Angeles Unified School District Education Foundation.

Los Angeles Regional Food Bank – https://secure.lafoodbank.org/site/Donation2

If you reside in Socal, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank will accept donations of food as well at two distribution centers in Los Angeles county.

Baby2Baby – https://donate.baby2baby.org/give/560183#!/donation/checkout

This nonprofit provides essentials such as diapers, food formula and hygiene products for children and families in Los Angeles.

The California Fire Foundation – https://cpf.salsalabs.org/cff-donation/index.html

The California Fire Foundation supports the brave firefighters and emergency personnel who are on the ground fighting the fires and their communities.

Red Cross – https://www.redcross.org/donate/cm/abc.html/?subcode=abc-pub

The Red Cross is active across Los Angeles county and the greater Los Angeles area to provide support to people fleeing the wildfires. Donations also help to support the emergency shelters they have setup for people affected by the Palisades fire.

Animal Wellness Foundation – https://www.animalwellnessfoundation.org/palisades-fire-relief-fund

The Animal Wellness Foundation is here to help house and feed pets that might have been left behind by owners who evacuated. Currently, an old veterinary hospital in Marina Del Rey is being used for this effort.

World Central Kitchen – https://donate.wck.org/give/499865/

Nonprofit founded by José Andrés that has been active in providing food to people displaced by the fires as well as first responders and emergency personnel on the front lines.

A word of caution. There are many more organizations and funds that have been setup to help with the relief efforts but if you plan to make a donation, please exercise caution as there are also many fake links, campaigns trying to capitalize on the chaos.