itstargetnews
Americans begin fleeing homes, businesses this week California wildfires ravaging and destroying entire communities in five counties.
Firefighters, law enforcement and civilians are working together to control the fire, while local shelters and organizations are distributing supplies food and supplies and providing shelter to thousands of people who have lost their homes.
“A lot of communities are like ghost towns,” Matthew Barnett, founder of the Los Angeles Dream Center, told Fox News Digital. (See the video at the top of this article.)
California wildfires: Basic phone numbers for Los Angeles area residents and how to help them
“We’re just trying to provide various types of solutions. Financials are obviously important because of housing,” he said.
The Los Angeles Dream Center is a resource center for California residents seeking asylum and in need of recovery assistance and food. The organization is the cornerstone of free programs in communities around the world.
A car is charred inside a dealership after the Eaton Fire on Friday, January 10, 2025, in Altadena, California. (Jae C. Hong/Associated Press)
“Overnight, your campus grows by 20 percent. That’s a lot for a city like Los Angeles,” he said. “It’s just too expensive to turn on the utilities and everything.”
Thirty years ago, the Barnett Plan serve as pastor After a few months, he quickly fell in love with Los Angeles and decided to stay indefinitely to open the Dream Center.
“We thought, in a city like Los Angeles that’s known as 24/7, why not have a place in downtown Los Angeles that really picks up broken dreams and people who are hurting and struggling,” Barnett said.
The Dream Center is located along U.S. Highway 101 and has been open since 1996. catholic $3.9 million.
“They could have sold it to Paramount Pictures for $16 million,” Barnett said.
On January 8, 2025, the Palisades Fire destroyed a building on Sunset Boulevard during a severe storm in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. Driven by strong Santa Ana winds, the Palisades Fire has grown to more than 15,000 acres and 30,000 people have been ordered to evacuate, while a second fire breaks out near Eaton Canyon in Altadena. (Apu Gomez/Getty Images)
The 15-story building served as a filming location for eight years. It now houses 700 residents, including homeless veteransemancipated minors and families, etc., every day.
Los Angeles Fire Department sounds alarm as budget cuts impact wildfire response: Memo
“It’s open 24 hours a day to anyone in need,” Barnett said.
Today, the Dream Center is providing private rooms, food, necessities and other supplies to local residents. California residents As firefighters work to control the blaze, they need help.
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, on Wednesday, January 8, 2025. (Maxar Technologies, Inc. via AP)
Australian chef Wolfgang Puck delivered 2,000 meals on Friday afternoon.
“He said, ‘When are you going to serve them?’ and I said, ‘What now?’” Barnett said.
“This is ten times what it’s been like with COVID,” Barnett said of the relief efforts.
“So, we just threw them on the front lines.” (See video below.)
Barnett added that the generous donations of food only last for two hours before running out.
“Then other people will step up and we’ll put them on the front line and a new restaurant will come up,” Barnett said.
“It’s just one miracle after another. It always seems to be there when you need it. When you take care of someone who’s injured, God has a way Just providing all these incredible channels. That’s how it happened. “
Smoke from the Eaton Fire fills the sky in Altadena, Los Angeles County, California on January 9, 2025. The fast-moving wildfires have forced 30,000 people to evacuate, and officials warned that worsening winds could further intensify the fires. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu, Getty Images)
During the dangerous wildfire situation, the Dream Center and its 250 daily volunteers are loading supplies onto trucks to deliver to affected areas and serving food lines 10 hours a day.
“This is ten times worse than COVID,” Barnett said of the relief efforts.
Click here to subscribe to our lifestyle newsletter
“I wasn’t home,” Barnett said. “I’m out of the house now and in the office. So, I’m really a displaced person – helping other displaced people.”
“We’re like here, not knowing the future of our own home, which is just blocks away from the fire, and yet we’re living in our own pain,” Barnett said of his family, including the dog. Serve.”
For more lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle
“Serving our own struggles.”
Celebrities including Snoop Dogg, Florence Pugh, Billie Eilish, Jojo Siwa and King Bach have lent their support to the Dream Center; they share posts on social media, attracting more attention and volunteerism.
Click here to get the Fox News app
“These are people we’ve never met, but they’re looking for ways to do good,” Barnett said.
The Dream Center is collecting food and non-perishable items, baby supplies, clothing, water and financial donations online and in person.
