When Everything Changes

Grief and the SoCal wildfires

My friend and colleague, Rabbi Zach Shapiro posted on Wednesday morning:

“It’s amazing. What was important 24 hours ago seems so trivial now.”

I look back at my inbox on Tuesday morning and afternoon… Everything is different now. We are all talking about different things.

My overwhelming feeling is helplessness. Yes, there are ways to contribute and assist. (I’ll post some of those below.) But nothing can replace the smell of a child’s favorite blanket, or pictures and mementos collected over a lifetime.

Can you imagine losing everything besides what you have on you? What would you need? Water, a shoulder to cry on, clothes, a toothbrush, a place to stay. Where do you even begin?

So many are grieving right now. For those of us looking for some way to help, first let us grieve with those who grieve: for everyone without a home, for everyone who lost possessions, for those who died and all who grieve them.

Right now, please pray. There are new evacuation zones being declared as I type. We need the winds to cease.

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For other ways to help, here are a few places taking donations and volutneers right now:

Our congregation is collecting donations through Presbyterian Disaster Assistance to support immediate and long lasting needs. 100% of the money collected will go toward relief efforts since the overhead is already taken care of.

PATH (People Assisting the Homeless) is looking for volunteers to help coordinate their efforts and distribute items. You can reach out at... PATHVolunteers@epath.org

The Culver City Educational Foundation has created a CCUSD Wildfire Disaster Support Fund to gather community donations, and will be partnering with the Culver City Council PTA and CCUSD to provide grants to teachers and staff members who are in need.

And here’s an article with a complete list of organizations on the ground right now.