Our community needed us, and we responded

Please give today to support fire victims and our first responders — https://LATLCFIRE.givesmart.com

2025 February

On January 7th, everything changed – and so did this column.

LATLC and OCTLC’s mission is to make a difference, and when the devastating fires broke out, we jumped into action and reactivated our Emergency Committee (originally created during the pandemic) to help the first responders on the front lines of the fires.

We immediately partnered with CAALA and set up a GIVESMART donation page. Because of your generosity, in less than a week we raised over $15,000 and donated more than $10,000 worth of much-needed personal care items (eye drops, chap sticks, razors, dental floss, sunscreen, and cough drops) and non-perishable food (beef jerky, energy drinks, protein bars, dried fruit, and nuts) to more than 20 local fire stations and police departments across Los Angeles County.  A few days later we more than quadrupled the donations, including $10,000 each from CAALA and MoveDocs.

In addition, we were able to deliver these goods to the conservation camps run by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the LA County Fire Department. Camp 16 in Sunland-Tujunga serves as a base for 682 male prisoners who are on the front lines supporting local, state, and federal agencies fighting the fires. Camp 13 in Malibu houses 20 women prisoners who are also battling the blazes.

Orange County Trial Lawyers Charities learned that OC firefighters (like so many fire support teams from across the state and country) were deploying equipment and firefighters to Los Angeles to assist in battling to save life and property.

Our Orange County members worked to donate $5,000 to purchase supplies and take them to the fire stations including Newport Beach Station 3, Huntington Beach Station 2, and Cypress Fire Station 17, which had two fire trucks each in Los Angeles fighting fires. Firefighters were so grateful for the help, and we plan to keep it up as long as needed.

When we learned that many of the visiting firefighters and military were not receiving hot meals because of the crazy schedules, we brought in Teddy’s Red Tacos and were able to feed more than 500 men and women over two nights in Pasadena.

Working with Integrative Healers Action Network, a group from Northern California, we brought together local chiropractors, massage therapists and physical therapists to provide care to firefighters and army personnel in Pasadena and Zuma.  Thank you to everyone who volunteered to make this happen including Spot Physical Therapy, Doctors on Liens, Injury Institute, Expert MRI, Quest Settlements and so many more generous groups.

This is only the first phase of our assistance.Working with our hundreds of partner charities, OCTLC and LATLC are identifying their needs and how all of us can help.

LATLC and OCTLC will continue to be a resource on how to help the community by providing information from our partner charities regarding the ongoing needs of the community.

It takes a village – and we are working hard with CAALA, CAOC, AAJ, CELA, and SFTLA in these efforts. And, of course YOU!

To donate directly: https://LATLCFIRE.givesmart.com