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How you can help brighten the holiday season for Eaton Fire survivors
A hand-crafted ceramic ornament that was donated to Ornaments for Altadena.
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Courtesy Ana Medina-Whirledge
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A group of Eaton Fire survivors are coming together to bring some holiday joy to their neighbors, some of whom lost their homes and irreplaceable decorations in January’s firestorm.
Survivor Ana Medina-Whirledge and her family lost their home in the Eaton Fire. She said she’s mourning the loss of the homes and decorations that played a part in her family’s holiday traditions, like going up the street to her husband’s childhood friend’s home to decorate their tree every year.
But instead of giving in to the dread, she and a small group started Ornaments for Altadena.
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They’re accepting donations of holiday decorations — including ornaments, stars, menorahs and kinaras — that will be distributed to survivors at upcoming holiday markets.
“It’s a way of not just hiding all of that pain and just being able to talk with other people who are feeling it as well,” Medina-Whirledge told LAist.
So far she said they’ve received dozens of hand-crafted ceramic, vintage and other ornaments. Some special ornaments have been crafted from the remnants of the lights that adorned Christmas Tree Lane.
The day after a neighbor’s grandmother who lives in a nursing home got wind of the donation drive, Medina-Whirledge said she received a dozen cross stitched and otherwise crafted ornaments.
“The biggest reward I’ve received already in the two weeks since we’ve started this has been seeing people that I know were very sad about the upcoming holiday season, start to feel excited and joy and feel community and feel together,” Medina-Whirledge said.
For now, she’s storing them in the garage at her rental — carefully — but may tap interested organizations to help out at some point.
The plan is to create displays at the upcoming Winter Bloom and Plant Material holiday markets where survivors can come pick out an ornament — or several — to take home.
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If you’d like to participate, you can drop off donations at the below locations, or visit the Ornements for Altadena website for a shipping address.
Donation drop-off sites
PRIME Pizza
1900 Allen Ave., Altadena
Sunday - Thursday: 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Friday-Saturday: 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Plant Material
3024 La Paz Drive, Silver Lake
Tuesday-Sunday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Plant Material
3350 Eagle Rock Blvd., Glassell Park
Tuesday-Sunday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
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