Palm Desert businesses hosting donation drive for Los Angeles fire victims Saturday
Coachella Valley residents are stepping up to help support their neighbors to the west who are facing the unimaginable.
G.E.M. Billing Solutions and Mi Cultura Peruvian Colombian Cuisine hosted a donation drive Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for people displaced by the LA wildfires.
Two friends - Jordan Machado and Jori Moreno felt compelled to organize the event.
Some of the items taken in included pet food, clothing, toiletries, non-perishable food items and diapers.
"We're trying to gather donations for the victims and animals and first responders that have been affected by the Los Angeles fires," said Machado, founder of G.E.M. Billing Solutions.
Organizers say after seeing the destruction, it was impossible to sit idly by.
"My husband's a firefighter for CalFire. I'm a native Californian, so it's very close to my heart."
"It's really, really heartbreaking and devastating what's happening in los angeles. And any way we could give back, we're not going to stop doing what we you know, we can do our platform until we, you know, can help out as many people as we can," said Moreno, owner of Mi Cultura
The restaurant also offered free meal to donors, and evacuees including a family who fled the Palisades Fire and are now staying at a Palm Springs hotel.
While Saturday's donation drive has ended, you can still donate through Monday at Mi Cultura. On Tuesday, organizers plan to drive the donations up to Los Angeles to donate to a trusted organization.
Organizers say due to the large amount of donations they've received, they are asking for volunteers to provide a trailer or U-Haul to deliver the products to LA. If you're interested in helping, you can reach organizers at 760-232-6277.
In addition to physical donations, monetary contributions can be made at calfirefoundation.org and to the Pasadena Humane Society - give.pasadenahumane.org/fire
LOCAL ASSISTANCE FOR LA FIRE VICTIMS + HOW YOU CAN HELP
(Courtesy of city of Palm Springs)
