LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. — On Sunday, Jan. 12, Los Alamitos High School hosted a donation drive on campus in support of victims of the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles County. 

Volunteers came together from all over Los Alamitos Unified School District: at least 75 students from elementary to high school, LAHS students and staff, parents, Griffin alumni, LAUSD staff and over 50 community members — including five military members. 

The Eaton and Palisades fires broke out on Jan. 7 and has decimated the towns of Pacific Palisades and Altadena. The fires spread rapidly as the Santa Ana winds blew them in different directions, and according to USA Today, more than 12,000 homes and other structures have been destroyed.

With the fires about an hour away from Los Alamitos, LAHS students and community members personally know people who have been affected. 

“My uncle and aunt lost their house. They live in L.A.,” Kaylee Garcia, a sophomore who volunteered at the drive, said. “I think it’s really sad for anybody who’s lost their house. Everybody’s affected.”

LAHS Interact Club, Model United Nations, French Club, Speech and Debate, World Language Honor Societies, song and cheer shared information about and sent members to volunteer at the drive.

Mr. Hart, who teaches world history and AP Macroeconomics, organized the drive for the Los Alamitos community. 

“We have, as a family, one close personal friend in Pacific Palisades. The status of their home is unknown. They’re currently displaced,” Mr. Hart said.

Gallery • 3 Photos

Giulietta Morad

Lines of cars pulled up in the west parking lot of LAHS to donate a variety of supplies to the drive.

He explained that what motivated the donation drive was a contact with California School for the Arts-San Gabriel Valley in Duarte, where at least 30 families lost their homes in the fires. CSArts-SGV is the sister school of Orange County School of the Arts in Santa Ana. 

“We’ve had a couple of our staff members and families that we work with in Altadena that were seriously impacted by the fires who have had damage to their homes,” Elizabeth Ton, Vice President of Development at CSArts-SGV, said.

Ton is a childhood friend of Mr. Hart, and she works on-campus at OCSA. They are both Griffin alumni and class of 1995. According to a volunteer email Mr. Hart sent today, as of Monday, Jan. 13, nearly half of CSArts-SGV students were affected by the Eaton fire. At least 68 students lost their homes, and over 350 were evacuated without stable housing.

“I was looking for a place where I could make donations personally that would go directly to affected people,” Mr. Hart said. “When I found that opportunity, I just ran. It’s all happening.”

CSArts and OSCA held drives on Monday, Jan. 13, and LAHS’ donations are going directly to CSArts’ distribution. Mr. Hart said CSArts families affected by the fires will receive “whatever they want” from donations, and surplus items will go to local YMCAs, which are currently displaced person centers. 

Madeline Reid, an LAHS sophomore, heard about the drive from Mr. Hart and her English teacher Mrs. Weber. She volunteered on Sunday with her mom. 

“We don’t know anybody in the fires, but (my mom) loves volunteering. I (thought) it would be a really good start to my morning (to) get ready for the day and come out here and help everybody as much as I can,” Reid said. 

Volunteer check-in started at 8 a.m., and the donation began at 9 a.m. Some volunteers were in charge of unloading cars, and others sorted the items into organized piles. The drive collected water, non-perishable food, clothes, shoes, self-care and first aid supplies, children’s toys, books, luggage, bedding, towels, camping and snow gear, pet supplies and baby items. 

“Working with the CSArts team to unload the trucks, I learned a lot about what was needed right away,” Mr. Hart wrote in his volunteer email on Tuesday. “The closer you get to the fires, water becomes an increasingly precious resource.  Our water delivery might prove to be the most impactful in the short term.”

A line of cars waited on Los Alamitos Blvd. to pull into LAHS’ west parking lot and drop off donation items. As more and more cars stopped by, the piles of bags and boxes grew; a little over an hour in, volunteers were forced to turn away clothing donations and send people to the Goodwill down the street. 

The first U-Haul truck filled up shortly after, and at noon, Mr. Hart closed the gates an hour early. After all items were organized and packed away, the drive filled four U-Hauls with donations for CSArts-SGV families. 

“Your actions speak volumes about what it means to come together for others in need,” Principal Kraus said in an LAHS newsletter on Sunday. “Thank you for taking the time to give in ways that will profoundly impact those facing devastating loss.”