Hearts Ablaze: The L.A. Women Who Turned Wildfire Tragedy into Triumph

Yahoo

14-03-2025

When residents forced to flee their homes in the wildfires needed clothing, toiletries, food, and cash assistance, these munificent women made sure their community members' needs were met … and then some. They stockpiled warehouses with essential items, created donation centers filled with designer duds and beauty products, hit the kitchen (or pizza oven) to prepare sustenance and founded movements — even in the face of their own losses.
ALTADENA GIRLSALTADENAGIRLS.ORG
» As the Eaton Fire raged, Avery Colvert's middle school, Eliot Arts Magnet Academy, was burned to the ground and her hometown of Altadena was decimated. But that didn't stop the 14-year-old, who studies dance and theater, from leaping into action, helping friends and fellow community members who lost everything. Founded by Colvert, Altadena Girls began as an Instagram post and an open call for donations. It has since ballooned into a viral movement, with celebrities ranging from Paris Hilton to Charli XCX and high-end brands and retailers donating enough clothing and beauty products to fill a Macy's. All free for teenage girls faced with the daunting task of starting over in the wake of tragedy. 'This is a long-term project,' says the eighth grader, whose organization has a new flagship space in Pasadena on Colorado Blvd. 'This is just the beginning.' — MALINA SAVAL
BSTRONGBETHENNY.COM/BSTRONG
» Bethenny Frankel's philosophy when it comes to helping others is simple. 'I can, so I must,' she says about what drives her humanitarian efforts — the centerpiece of which is her nonprofit BStrong. Best known as an original Bravolebrity from 2008's The Real Housewives of New York City and for her Skinnygirl cocktail brand, Frankel also has a podcast (Just B) and a buzzy presence on social media. But her other calling is making a difference during disasters. During the L.A. wildfires, she secured a warehouse to stock over $20 million worth of aid — including 20,000 crisis kits her team assembled and distributed to individuals and families who lost everything. BStrong has also raised $4 million in cash cards for those impacted by the Eaton and Palisades Fires. 'I had friends directly affected, I lived in the Palisades as did my father, so I knew something bad was happening very early and got my team activated very quickly,' she says. 'We have year-round aid available for any global disaster and trusted aid partners who spring into action when we say 'go.'' — LINA LECARO
FIORELLI PIZZAFIORELLIPIZZA.COM
» As Liz Gutierrez watched the fires rage all over the city of Los Angeles, the lifelong Angeleno had only one thought: 'We have to feed people.' Even when The Cook's Garden Venice on Abbot Kinney Boulevard — which houses Fiorelli Pizza, the wildly popular clay oven pizzeria she runs with her partner Michael Fiorelli — was showered in flakes of ash and darkened by inky black smoke from the nearby Palisades Fire, the duo didn't stop cooking. As the fires raged, Gutierrez and Fiorelli kneaded dough and plucked herbs to make more than 1,800 pizzas that were then delivered by volunteers to LAFD fire stations, the L.A. Sheriff's Department in Altadena and even to temporary homes occupied by the displaced. The first responders' favorite, she says, was the fennel sausage white pizza. (Ours too!) Gutierrez says she keeps in touch with some of those customers who were grateful for the meals — including one family that is now moving to Venice — adding, 'I hope that people live in this moment of continuing to be kind to each other.' — MICHELE MCPHEE
DIGITAL [e-mail]
» L.A. lifestyle influencer Loreen Hwang is known for promoting beauty, food, fashion and sustainability, but during the wildfires, she also used her digital influence to make a difference in people's lives. It started with a social media post on behalf of an old neighbor who lost everything in the Palisades Fire. 'The next day, I had hundreds of people asking to donate items,' she says, which led her to set up an impromptu donation center at a friend's nail salon. Driving around the city and assisting with pick-up and deliveries, she increased her efforts with additional donation pop-ups as more people reached out after the Eaton Fire, too. 'I knew I wanted to help however I could,' she says, and thanks to brands like Calpak and Oribe, she provided more than 1,000 bags of beauty products, clothes and essentials in just two weeks. — ROO JOSHI
CHIC RELIEFCHIC-RELIEF.COM
» Red-carpet stylists are no strangers to working under pressure. So, when entire neighborhoods in Malibu and the Pacific Palisades and Altadena were wiped out, and many residents fled the flames with nothing more than the clothes on their back, stylists to the stars Elizabeth Stewart, Jordan Grossman and Chloe Brown — along with many of their fashion compatriots — leapt into action to replenish wardrobes lost in the 18,000 homes burned across Los Angeles. The stylists, who founded the nonprofit Chic Relief during the pandemic — organized a pop-up with designer brands. They packed suitcases with curated items: clothes, sneakers, purses and jewelry, for entire families. And with that, they gave people who lost everything a tiny sense of normalcy. 'Our power is getting clothing from brands and that's what we have been doing,' Grossman said after she and Stewart transformed a Santa Monica parking lot and office space into a boutique-like wildfire donation center. 'We're all bossy people and just demanded to know what people really needed, what they wanted to wear, and we packed things that were personalized. It was truly beautiful to see so many stylists get involved, and so many designers who donated.' — MM