Facilitating Hope: Church Hosts Pasadena Wildfire Recovery Hub

Drive through some of the areas affected by the 2025 Southern California wildfires and you’ll see a small sign of hope: Flowers blooming and grass growing on desolate lots where only chimneys and rubble remain.

Dozens of organizations have gathered at a church building in Pasadena this week to offer wildfire survivors similar hope. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is hosting a six-day disaster recovery gathering at its Pasadena Stake Center in collaboration with the American Red Cross, Emergency Network Los Angeles (ENLA), and ENLA’s network of providers.

The goal is to provide support to approximately 2,500 households.

“One nonprofit, one church, one faith-based organization can do something, and everyone does respond. But really, the response is so much more effective when everyone comes together,” said ENLA Board Chair Michael Flood. ENLA is the Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) serving Los Angeles County.

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This event is a Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC), a one-stop shop where various nonprofit and public-sector organizations come together over six days to aid survivors. MARCs simplify the recovery process by allowing individuals to interact with multiple providers in a single location.

Zara Ciccotelli, a survivor of the Eaton fire, expressed her gratitude for the comprehensive support, which includes everything from legal and insurance guidance to spiritual and emotional care.

“It’s really amazing and heartwarming that so many people are putting their own time and effort into helping us,” Ciccotelli said. “You don’t really expect it, so it’s really nice to see. We were worried in the beginning that all the help would kind of dwindle and not go on, but today there’s still a lot of people, a lot helping, and it’s very nice. I think there is hope, and it helps to see that there are people willing to help us constantly.”

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been actively involved in wildfire relief efforts throughout California this year. In addition to providing its building as a central hub for this MARC, 1,200 local Church members have contributed more than 7,000 hours to cleanup efforts and provided food and supplies to those affected.

“The volunteers that we’ve had from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been really critical,” Flood said. “[They are] helping distribute the supplies, helping greet. There’s also language translation. A lot of the volunteers have spent time in other countries or are from other countries.”

“This event has been our opportunity as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to stand in the Savior’s stead and reach our hands out to lift others up in this community around us,” added Pasadena California Stake President Shaun Jorgensen.

Volunteer efforts are crucial in facilitating bulk-item distribution and case management. At the Pasadena MARC, LA Works is coordinating volunteers to ensure comprehensive coverage.

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One of those Latter-day Saint volunteers is Josh Smith, himself a survivor of the Eaton fire. The MARC in Pasadena is special for him because it’s the church building where he worships every week.

“For me, it was important to be here for this event where we’re opening up the area to bring in lots of different organizations, not just our Church volunteers,” Smith said. “It’s important that we represent Christ and the opportunity to give to the community that surrounds us.”

Young missionaries have also lent a helping hand.

“I don’t think I’ve ever met a missionary who’s ever used the word ‘no.’ It’s like, ‘We’ll figure this out. Let’s see how we can do this,” said Kevin Cox, CEO and founder of the Hope Crisis Response Network (HCRN), one of the organizations at this week’s MARC. “The Church needs to be very proud of its missionaries. When you send these young people out, they’re learning a lot of life lessons, but they’re also sowing such great seed. And that’s what we need in our country.”

These efforts by the Church and other organizations translate into a wide range of resources available to survivors at the Pasadena MARC. Dozens of organizations are offering a variety of resources, including:

• Bulk item distribution (air purifiers, PPE, hygiene kits, cleanup kits, meal kits, water, and items for children, as supplies last)
• Case management
• Debris removal and cleanup services
• Emotional and spiritual care
• Financial assistance (gift cards, vouchers)
• Housing and employment guidance
• Legal and insurance guidance
• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Small Business Administration (SBA) guidance

This year, previous MARCs have demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach, helping thousands of people. For example, a MARC in the Palisades in March supported survivors of the Palisades wildfire by providing financial assistance, emotional and spiritual care, and distributing essential supplies. Over 1,500 households attended, and participating organizations provided over $1.8 million in direct assistance. Another resource hub in Pasadena in January 2025 provided over $11.5 million in aid.

“This is a very welcoming and friendly place,” Flood said. “These are mostly volunteers you see here. They’re here to help. They want to be here. We talk to people as they come through. Whatever worry and anxiety they have is lessened a little bit by how they’re welcomed and how much they’re helped.”

Helping people see a path to recovery is key to fueling hope.

“[These survivors] are overwhelmed with the process of trying to live,” said Valerie Cox, who does community outreach with HCRN. “These types of events are very important to survivors because hope is built on the cognitive thought that there is a step forward, there is a difference ahead for me. People are overwhelmed and confused, and just being able to sit down at a table with somebody who might be able to offer help or might be able to steer them to the next step is super important.”

This long-term perspective is shared by the American Red Cross, which emphasizes the ongoing commitment required to help the community heal.

“Decades of work are required to recover from what we’ve lost in this community, and it’s really overwhelming to think about that all at once and to think that we’re only five months into this,” said Alexis Helgeson, community recovery specialist for the American Red Cross. “To have this event, especially at this time, five months out, when a lot of other organizations have had to move on to other disasters, is such a great indication to the community that we are here. We have not forgotten about you. We aren’t moving on, and we’re going to get through this together.”