This college turned its wildfire relief center into a department store of free things

For just over a week, the Santa Monica College Foundation worked to gather essential items for community members who’ve been impacted by the recent wildfires. Now all those items have to find the people who need them.

The college’s gym now resembles a department store of free goods, with dozens of tables teeming with neatly folded clothes for babies, children, and adults. As shoppers enter, they’re handed a large, blue shopping bag. Once inside, they’re greeted by upbeat music and a sea of mylar balloons.

Shoppers — again, it’s free — will find other essentials, including blankets, backpacks, canes, and pillows, carefully displayed throughout. As people peruse the items, volunteers circle the building, refolding garments and rearranging anything that looks askew.

The upkeep is deliberate, said Kathryn Jeffery, the college’s president and superintendent. She and her colleagues sought to create a distribution site that treats wildfire victims and other community members with dignity.

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“Anyone who comes through this space, they’re not going to feel like they're just going to some place where clothes were dumped,” she said.

At Santa Monica College, Jeffery’s students and colleagues have either lost their homes or been displaced due to fire damage. Some of those wildfire victims, she added, have come out to volunteer. Earlier that day, Jeffery discovered a faculty member who’d been volunteering for days is among those whose homes have been destroyed. She told Jeffery it “helps her take her mind off things,” that it’s “a way to make some good come out of all this.”

Who can come to the event?

Organizers said the event is geared toward local students, faculty, and staff — but everyone is welcome, including unhoused Angelenos. No one gets turned away. One man traveled all the way from Pasadena because he’d lost his home in the Eaton Fire.

Philip Hephzibah and Rafael Hernandez, who are on the school soccer team, were initially hesitant to go to the distribution site. They did not lose their homes. They also weren’t forced to evacuate.

“I really didn’t want to take advantage,” Hephzibah said.

“Same,” said Hernandez, who left the gym with a jacket for himself and another for his sister.

Their coach encouraged them to go, they said — students like them were affected in other ways, including having their in-person classes move online.

Organizers see the distribution site as an extension of ongoing student relief, including its existing basic needs program, which runs a bodega filled with free fresh produce and gently used clothes.

Lizzy Moore, president of the Santa Monica College Foundation, stressed that volunteers are still needed to help the distribution site be a success. If you’re interested in participating, she added, you can sign up on the college’s webpage.

The distribution event's organizers left enough room for student athletes to continue using the gym.

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Julia Barajas

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Other resources

Outside the gym, the World Central Kitchen distributed free hot meals. Providence St. John’s Health Center set up a mobile van where community members can get free N95 masks and immunization records.

Shoppers will also find other resources. At the L.A. County Department of Public Health’s booth, people can sign up for mental health services, regardless of whether they have insurance, said Brian Navarro, a licensed clinician and psychiatric social worker.

Brian Navarro, with the L.A. County Department of Public Health, helped people sign up for mental health resources.

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Julia Barajas

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LAist

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Navarro was there to provide information for children and adults in West L.A., including those with intellectual disabilities and developmental delays. His table had stress balls, tiny coloring books, and tips on how to decompress.

“If anybody's looking for resources or information about our talk line — sometimes talking helps us feel better — you can contact us,” he said. “We can really rely on each other to get through this hard time.”