“They have no idea what they’re in for,” said a friend recently as we discussed the wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area.
After weathering multiple firestorms in Sonoma County, we know that dousing the flames isn’t the end of this tragedy.
It’s just the end of the beginning.
Reality doesn’t truly set in until the fires are out, the Red Cross packs up its tents, the fire brigades head home, and the nation’s goodwill turns toward something else.
Rebuilding homes, businesses and lives takes months, years, even decades.
There are a million things fire survivors haven’t even begun to think about — the piles of paperwork, insurance settlements (or not), finding new housing, new schools and a semblance of stability.
In 2017, as the Tubbs Fire still burned in Santa Rosa, I founded Sonoma Family Meal. This emergency feeding operation provided thousands of ready-to-eat meals made by chefs, restaurateurs and an army of volunteers. Over five years, we provided nearly 800,000 meals through three wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic.

I learned firsthand that money flows like water during a crisis, but dries to a trickle within a few weeks. Survivors need our help — more than ever — in the aftermath, in the arduous times of rebuilding.
I also found out that donating money to local, on-the-ground organizations is far more impactful than anything else you can do.
Right now, national and international aid organizations are on the ground in Southern California. In the long term, the community needs to invest in local resources. In Sonoma Family Meal’s case, we connected with local restaurants, farms and ranches to protect our local food ecosystem.
If you want to help Los Angeles fire survivors, here’s what I recommend.
1. Do not send clothing, hygiene items or any other physical items unless you are specifically asked.
Right now, the city’s already strained resources are focused on putting out the fires and can’t support distribution of donated goods. During Sonoma County fires, I have watched hundreds of pounds of clothing and food go into dumpsters because it was donated in excess.
2. Make donations to Los Angeles-based organizations.
Jennifer Gray Thompson, the CEO of After the Fire USA (formerly North Bay Rebuild Foundation), recommends The California Community Foundation, The Malibu Boys and Girls Club and Project Camp, offering pop-up camps for children to play during recovery efforts. Find more advice on how to help in the best possible way in this The Press Democrat article. The Los Angeles Times also has a list of recommended organizations.
3. Find industry-specific organizations.
If you would like to support a particular cause, there are industry-specific organizations to seek out. Many restaurants and their employees, for example, have been affected by the Los Angeles fires.
— Restaurants Care is offering grants and food for restaurant workers.
— World Central Kitchen (WCK) is feeding thousands, and Wine Country chefs, including Guy Fieri and Tyler Florence, are helping with food relief together with the WCK teams. Fieri brought his own barbecue trailer to Los Angeles earlier this week.
— The Sik Faan Fund is purchasing meals from restaurants for first responders and evacuees.
— Another Round Another Rally is helping hospitality workers impacted by disasters
4. Assist those displaced by the fires.
Many Los Angeles residents are coming north to the Bay Area. If you have a friend or family member sheltering fire evacuees, donate directly to them.
You can reach Dining Editor Heather Irwin at heather.irwin@pressdemocrat.com. Follow Heather on Instagram @biteclubeats.