Fire Response Volunteer Opportunities

As we move towards the next stage in the recovery and support of fire victims across the Los Angeles area (and beyond!) there are a number of opportunities for our churches to engage in assisting those affected as well as helping our Disaster Response team and UMCOR in carrying out their work.

URGENT CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS FROM YOUR DISASTER RESPONSE TEAM AND JCEMT

Tomorrow, the Wildfire Resource Center opens at Kaiser Permanente’s Walnut Center building, located at 393 East Walnut St. in Pasadena, and will be open Monday, Jan. 27, through Friday, Jan. 31, from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m., and on Saturday, Feb. 1 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

The disaster response team is in need of volunteers to assist with the distribution of resources such as fire buckets, cleaning kits, etc.

Some of our JCEMT strategy groups will also be present at the event and are looking for volunteers to assist in a variety of ways.  If you are available and can assist for any period of time during the week please contact Rev. Denyse Barnes – dbarnes@calpacumc.org or TEXT her on 805-832-1593.

ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

• Stephen Ministers – we already have a number of folx lined up to help with grief counseling and support and would like to now call for those of you who are qualified Stephen’s ministers to add your names to our list.  In addition to working with the fire victims themselves as we move to helping with sifting, we also need support for those people who are working directly with the victims as they listen to their stories and hold space for them.  This work is emotionally challenging, and they will also need someone to talk to and help them process. Please submit a response form if you are qualified and interested.
• Fire buckets – We have obtained a warehouse space in Pasadena to store supplies for UMCOR and disaster response.  Now we need to add to the supplies there.  Churches can assemble fire buckets (you can find the details here)
• Sifters construction – These are tools which can be constructed by church teams – you find the details here.
• Cleaning Kits – these can help those who were evacuated and now need to clean their homes.  You can find the details for these kits here.
• Document Retrieval – For those churches which are close by to the fire locations you can offer assistance for folx who have lost everything by hosting a document retrieval service.  If you have space to set up a “clinic” for this purpose and some laptops to assist then here is form which can help you help those who need to restore all of their personal documentation.

2025 Wildfires Resource Hub: Monday, January 27- Saturday, February 1:

Meet with national, state, and local community based organizations collaborating to provide crucial resources and information to those impacted by the 2025 LA Wildfires. More information is on these flyers: English | Spanish