Support Urgent LA Wildfire Relief Efforts

Key Program Highlights & Achievements, Oct. 7, 2025:

OPERATIONAL PROGRESS

• The All Hands and Hearts (AH&H) team continued its smoke remediation work in Altadena, completing 38 residences with AH&H volunteers and supporting a total of 178 homes across partners like the Bunny Suits Collective.
  
  
• Only four homes remain in the AH&H queue, with field operations projected to conclude by October 8, 2025.
  
  
• A HAZMAT and Asbestos Sample Collection Training was facilitated by AH&H’s Safety and Security Advisor, strengthening local capacity.

COMMUNITY & PARTNERSHIPS

• AH&H maintained and expanded partnerships with CORE, NDLON, 24LA, and others.
  
  
• Notably, Operation Bunny Suits—a collaboration between AH&H, CORE, NDLON, and FPP—expanded the NDLON Fire Brigade from two teams to eight, greatly increasing response capacity
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• AH&H also hosted Google LA twice and prepared for a media day with CORE, showcasing strong stakeholder engagement.
  
  
• The Soft Goods and Furnishings Project funded by a donor grant supported over 100 households, including families from the Boys & Girls Club of Pasadena, with over 73% of funds utilized by mid-September.
  

VOLUNTEER POWER & ENGAGEMENT

• Over 10,000 volunteer hours contributed by 151 volunteers, serving more than 18,000 individuals across Los Angeles
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• Volunteers supported:
  
  
• NDLON distributions (9,300 visitors, 24 days)
  
  
• CORE pop-up events (1,900 visitors)
  
  
• YMCA and 24LA Relief Centers, HomeBank LA, and ROWW Distribution Center.
  

Engaging activities such as wellness days, cultural exchanges, and game nights helped sustain morale and community at base.

CHALLENGES

• Program transitions due to key staff departures** (IRM and PD roles ended in early September) impacted leadership continuity
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• Ramp-down of operations required equipment disposition and procedural handovers while maintaining final quality standards.
  
  
• Funding and partnership cycles (notably the wind-down of Operation Bunny Suits in June 2025) required flexibility and strategic adjustment to sustain services through October.

IMPACT TO DATE

As of September 18, 2025:

• 18,000+ people served through combined remediation, distribution, and relief operations.
  
  
• 178 homes completed in smoke remediation, with 189 individuals returning home safely.
  
  
• 1,100 applications for CORE cash voucher assistance facilitated (worth $479,000 in direct funding).
  
  
• $170,000 in goods-in-kind donations distributed.
  
  
• Strengthened community resilience through training, partnerships, and volunteer integration.

DISASTER CONTEXT 

The 2025 Los Angeles Wildfires were among the most destructive in California’s history—burning over 45,000 acres, destroying 17,000+ structures, and affecting 1.2 million people.

AH&H’s timely deployment (beginning January 12, 2025) and collaboration with local groups like CORE and NDLON allowed for rapid, adaptive, and community-centered recovery operations—transitioning from immediate relief to long-term recovery.

SUMMARY INSIGHTS

All Hands and Hearts’ LA Wildfires Response has:

• Transitioned from an emergency operation to a community-led recovery phase,
  
  
• Delivered tangible housing and humanitarian outcomes, and
  
  
• Built capacity for future disaster resilience through training, partnerships, and local empowerment.

The final field phase (through October 2025) represents the culmination of a highly effective, adaptive response model that combined volunteer mobilization, strategic partnerships, and direct community engagement to deliver lasting impact across Los Angeles County.