5 ways to help SoCal restaurant workers impacted by the fires

An interior view of the restaurant Sunday Gravy in Inglewood

Sunday Gravy in Inglewood. | Wonho Frank Lee

Jesse Sparks is a Sr. editor at Eater and Thrillist.

Since January 7, 2025, fires have burned across the greater Los Angeles area, eventually spreading throughout LA County due to unseasonably strong winds. In the days since, residents have been forced to evacuate and find shelter elsewhere as they waited to see if the continued flames would engulf their homes and communities. In the meantime, a wide variety of community organizations, restaurants, and food industry personalities, like José Andrés, have organized to provide support to the area’s restaurant workers, their families, and the city at large.

In the immediacy of this crisis, it’s easy to get stuck in the general state of shock, grief, and overwhelm, whether you’re on the ground in California or simply asking what you can do to help from the other side of a phone screen. With so many calls for help, for action, for mobilization, there are a staggering number of ways to get involved — or find immediate assistance. World Central Kitchen and the Southern Smoke Foundation, organizations that have made names for themselves for their extensive and immediate efforts to provide emergency aid, currently offer an application process for affected individuals to request emergency relief support online. (They cite this as a result of the recent series of natural disasters that have hampered communities across the country.)

But here now are five worker- and restaurant-focused organizations, opportunities, and resources that can more immediately provide actionable support to the widest range of people. Donate, share, or turn to them directly if you’re on the ground in Los Angeles.

California Wildfire GoFundMe Hub Page

The obvious choice is often the right one. If you have the extra pocket change to share but aren’t sure where to donate to directly benefit someone, turn to GoFundMe’s centralized hub of fundraising efforts prompted by the wildfires. Although many of these independent fundraisers aren’t overseen or managed by a dedicated staff, that’s exactly what makes them so worthy of your support. Whether it’s to repair a home, cover relocation fees, board pets, or just cover bills until their workplace reopens, each of these initiatives brings the chance to make an immediate, positive impact in the life of someone whose face and reality you can actually see.

National Day Laborer Organizing Network Donations

It’s impossible to have a real conversation about supporting restaurant workers without acknowledging the many different challenges that low-wage workers encounter due to their citizenship statuses, their workplace’s legal red tape, and the financial strains that these workers shoulder just to get to their shifts. But the National Day Laborer Organizing Network’s recent efforts have focused on providing equitable support to anyone impacted by the wildfires, regardless of their job or citizenship. Donate here to fund them and the Pasadena Community Job Center, which has been transformed into an emergency center distributing essentials like food and water, N-95 masks, and other protective gear to impacted workers who might otherwise be excluded from receiving potentially lifesaving resources.

Mutual Aid LA: Resource Directory Spreadsheet

If you like the idea of sharing the wealth but want to stretch your dollar further, consider donating to the Mutual Aid LA Network as it maintains an active spreadsheet of centralized resources across the greater LA area. Consistently updated by organizers, the sheet highlights local organizations providing temporary housing, libraries offering device charging and free Wi-Fi, locations boarding animals, and even services providing free transportation to emergency centers. Plus, because the sheet is a living resource, affected parties can spend more time getting what they actually need, and less time trying to make sense of Instagram comments with a limited battery. So, if you’re looking for a place to donate as well as something to share that’s more tangibly helpful than “thoughts and prayers,” this is a great place to start.

Restaurants Care

Although it may not have the same degree of name recognition as Work Central Kitchen, Restaurants Care — the California Restaurant Association’s nonprofit program — more than makes up for it through worker-focused initiatives providing financial support to workers across the state. Although the program has a focus on providing short-term fire relief, the list of resources and opportunities for aid in response to housing, food shortage, mental health, and other crises should assure anyone that their dollars are being put to their best use.

Community Power Collective

Street vendors, food carts, and food trucks make up a crucial portion of LA’s vibrant food culture and community, and the Community Power Collective ensures their interests remain central among the wider push to support the Los Angeles restaurant community. Previously, the organization has been vocal about preserving street vendors’ rights to sell staple foods and goods throughout the city, but the organization has also held educational workshops, hosted tamaladas and celebrations to feed the community, and distributed (in Spanish and English) industry-specific information about legal and political issues directly impacting food workers. Though not about fire relief specifically, they’re a prime beneficiary for donations you’re hoping will make a long-term industry impact.

More for the table:

Eater LA is keeping a list of the restaurants offering free meals and other relief following the Los Angeles area wildfires.
The Eater LA team is also monitoring the restaurants directly impacted by the fires.
As we learn more about the fires’ lingering impacts, consider donating to Celebration Nation, which is raising funds for farmworkers.
For a geographic directory of resources, look to this spreadsheet of LA Fire Mutual Aid Resources.
Few services can be as much of a relief in times of crisis as reliable childcare, so the trauma-informed youth program Project:Camp will host pop-up summer camps for children impacted by the fires. For other childcare options, look to local YMCA’s across Southern California.
Air quality will remain a concern during the coming weeks. Turn to MaskBlocLA, a group giving out free masks to combat the smoggy haze; they’re also accepting volunteers.