Dear LIFT community,
Our hearts are with all those who have endured devastating losses during the LA wildfires. We are responding con la mano en el corazón (with our hand over our heart), leading with loving response and concrete support. Amid the heartbreak, it has been inspiring to witness the outpouring of support, the strength of community bonds, and the profound demonstration of mutual aid and humanity. So many of you have already reached out to see how you can help. We thank you for your care and invite you now to join us in our response by donating to the LIFTing Los Angeles Emergency Relief Fund.
As you know, LIFT partners with those who are often among the most vulnerable, face systemic barriers, and can be left invisible— including our undocumented community. Many work in roles within the care system, service industries, and open-air jobs. They are domestic care providers, gig workers or small business owners who are now experiencing immediate and long-term threats to their livelihoods and health. We are already seeing the immense need resulting from this disaster. With you, we are ready to meet this need.
“We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now…This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.”
– Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
LIFT-LA’s Multifaceted Response
Our LIFTing Los Angeles Emergency Relief Fund will provide direct, unrestricted cash assistance to help LIFT members financially endure this crisis. We are also modifying and augmenting our services to address our families’ unique challenges resulting from this hardship, including: .
- Direct Coaching and Support: Providing personalized guidance to understand and address the unique challenges families are facing following these fires.
- Resource Navigation and Access: Ensuring all families can access critical resources and aid making sure undocumented community members also have access to the services they need in this moment.
- Food and Supplies Distribution: Continuing our distributions to meet basic needs for those most affected.
- Workshops and Training: Developing new resources and trainings to help LIFT members navigate pressing issues from insurance and aid claims to equipping entrepreneurs to secure rebuilding contracts as LA begins to recover.
- Working in Solidarity: Partnering with other community organizations to coordinate services, bolster and amplify efforts, and contribute to relevant advocacy that may be needed to ensure comprehensive, creative, generous, and accessible response.
Your donation today to the LIFTing Los Angeles Emergency Relief Fund will directly support LIFT members facing unprecedented challenges. In the spirit of equity and abundance, in addition to supporting our members and work, we also encourage support for GoFundMe campaigns not receiving equitable attention: displaced Black families and displaced Latine families. By standing together, we can help our community as they recover, rebuild, and heal in the wake of this crisis.
In solidarity,
Michelle Rhone-Collins, LIFT CEO
Allie Olson, LIFT-LA Executive Director
PS. Please give today to provide immediate support to LIFT families who need your support. Together, we can help our community achieve an equitable and inclusive recovery from this tragedy.