Could you give up a month of your life to go help other people? For a group from All Hands and Hearts, that’s exactly what they did. All Hands and Hearts is an international volunteer organization that serves after disaster. They mobilize their network of volunteers to come in to communities and do their best to get them on the right track to recovery.
HCRN has worked with All Hands and Hearts on our previous work in Paradise following the Camp Fire, and we were excited to hear that they wanted to come to Altadena and work with us again repairing homes damaged by the Eaton Fire 2025. It took a lot of planning, and the struggle for housing in LA County affects even volunteer organizations, but our friends made it happen to serve survivors.
Through their month we had them working on a couple remediation projects. During the fire, hurricane force winds blew through town pushing the fire on at a rapid pace. The high winds also destroyed roofs on many homes, including the home this team was serving. With a destroyed roof, soon the seasonal rains came through and destroyed the ceilings and damaged the contents of the home. The family had no insurance money for repairs and had to leave the home untouched for a full year before we were able to bring teams in to start the process of getting them home.
Over the course of a month, they replaced drywall, caulked and painted the exterior of the home, and began flooring the interior. It looks like a whole new home for the elderly couple who live there and are currently staying with one of their adult children. This work is literally going to change their life and allow them to live with dignity in safe and sanitary housing.
“Somebody told me once they were asked how many people they had helped and the appropriate answer was ‘not enough,’” said Jimmie, one of the All Hands and Hearts volunteers.
Kim, another volunteer, said, “I’m gonna keep coming back as long as I physically can. There’s too much of a need in this country for people who can’t help themselves financially or physically after a disaster, and that’s just what I’ve always wanted to do.”
There are so many reasons to serve, but the most important one is whatever gets you in the field.
If you want to be a part of the Eaton Fire recovery, you can donate here or volunteer by emailing [email protected]
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