Santa Barbara over the past month has been very supportive and helpful to the rebuilding efforts of the Los Angeles community. The Palisades and Eaton fires caused devastation to over 37,728 acres of land full of lively towns in the span of almost a week. Many Santa Barbara businesses have sent supplies, volunteers, and money to support the over 100,000 people displaced. One local business sending their love is the Santa Barbara Public Market. This downtown business full of diverse food options has worked to send over 4,000 pounds of clothing, 2,500 pounds of bedding and blankets, 200 pounds of non-perishable food and much more to the Pasadena Race Track, which is a known center for resources during these times. Silas Fallstich is a representative who helped to facilitate this program who spoke about why they started their donation drive.

“I think everyone was trying to find a method in which they could contribute, and giving them a central location was why it became so impactful because people already had that want to help,” Fallstich shared.

The second local effort comes from the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF), who partnered with Direct Relief to pitch in through a program called, “Film Unites.” The donation period was active until the end of the festival on February 15. Direct Relief is matching the funds accumulated up to 100,000 dollars. Benjamin Goedert, development director of SBIFF, when asked about his experience throughout this partnership, responded with, “Direct Relief is incredibly responsive and quick to activate when crisis comes.” 

The Santa Barbara community is extremely proactive and supportive when a crisis happens. These skills of looking out for each other is something everyone can learn from.