When All Hands & Hearts began supporting communities affected by the Eaton Fire, we knew recovery would take more than one project, one season, or one year.
Today, we are building a long-term presence in California that connects recovery in Southern California with wildfire preparedness and mitigation in Santa Cruz and Alameda Counties.
We came to help families recover. We stayed to restore schools, strengthen food access, support young people, and help communities prepare for what comes next.
Recovery That Feels Like Home
With Hope Crisis Response Network, our volunteers helped restore a fire-damaged home for longtime Altadena residents. With Hope Crisis Response Network, our volunteers supported repairs on two fire-damaged homes in Altadena, including one family facing serious medical challenges that made returning home especially urgent. From drywall and flooring to doors, trim, cabinetry, and bathroom reconstruction, our team helped move both families closer to safe, dignified housing. The partnership also allowed us to respond quickly as needs changed, shifting skilled volunteers between homes and helping HCRN keep both recovery projects moving forward.
A School Campus Reborn
At Odyssey South Charter School, we joined Weaver and local partners to improve 12 campus spaces through murals, refreshed doors, playground improvements, greenery, benches, books, and other student-centered projects.
Since that first project, Odyssey has welcomed 40 additional students.
The revitalized playground and outdoor learning spaces have changed more than the campus itself. Families now park and walk their children to school instead of driving through, creating new opportunities for parents to connect with teachers, school leaders, and one another.
The improvements have also become part of school tours, helping prospective families see Odyssey South as a welcoming place where children can learn, grow, and thrive.
We are now developing the next phase of school recovery, with the goal of creating a campus that better serves 220 students and 37 staff members.
Together with our continued support for the Boys & Girls Club of Pasadena’s summer program, our work has reached more than 185+ students and 37 teachers, while generating over 736 volunteer hours.
Recovery is not only about rebuilding structures. It is about restoring hope, belonging, and confidence in the future.
Listening and Responding to Community Needs
Recovery also means listening to what families say they need.
Recovery also means listening to what families say they need and building alongside the people already serving them.
Through our partnership with Altadena Farmers Market, supported by the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation, we are helping provide continued fresh-produce access for more than 1,700 fire-affected families through December 2026.
At the recent Dena Voices Community Dialogue and Resource Day, 159 residents gathered, 7,000 pounds of local produce were distributed, and 17 organizations and community leaders participated in conversations about food access, wellness, housing, sustainability, and Altadena’s future.
As one participating community partner shared:
“It was a gift to be among so many like-minded community members who care deeply about soil, food systems, and the wellbeing of our neighborhoods.”
The listening sessions surfaced clear priorities, including affordable and culturally relevant food, multilingual information, trusted local outreach, safer and more accessible gathering spaces, and stronger community-based food systems.
24LA has also been an important collaborator, creating opportunities for art, youth engagement, volunteer service, and trusted community connection.
These partnerships reflect how we want to work in California: listen first, respond to what residents identify, and turn community priorities into practical, lasting support.
Preparing Before the Next Wildfire
While Southern California continues the long road of recovery, communities in Santa Cruz and Alameda Counties are preparing for future wildfire seasons.
Through our Cal OES LISTOS-supported Community Wildfire Readiness Program, AH&H is expanding preparedness education, trusted-information outreach, home-hardening awareness, chainsaw safety, first-aid training, and practical wildfire-risk reduction.
In Santa Cruz County, we are developing an integrated model that connects rebuilding support for families affected by the CZU Fire with Zone 0 defensible-space and mitigation work for vulnerable households. AH&H’s California State Director Anya Graziano also had the opportunity to represent All Hands & Hearts before the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, advocating for greater investment in community wildfire preparedness and practical risk-reduction programs.
In Alameda County, we have begun community outreach and preparedness events to help families better understand emergency alerts, evacuation planning, wildfire risk, and the actions they can take before disaster strikes.
Prepared communities recover faster.
California Needs Partners Who Stay
Many families are still rebuilding. Schools are still restoring stability. Other neighborhoods are preparing for the next fire before it arrives. All Hands & Hearts is committed to meeting communities across every one of those timelines: restoring homes and schools, strengthening food access, reducing wildfire risk, and building partnerships that remain after the headlines fade.
Your support can help restore another learning space, provide continued fresh food to a fire-affected family, equip a vulnerable household to reduce wildfire risk, or bring preparedness training to a community before the next emergency.
Thank you for helping us stay, listen, and build alongside California communities.
Thank you for your support.
Help Build California’s Recovery & Readiness.
Your support can help restore another learning space, provide continued fresh food to a fire-affected family, equip a vulnerable household to reduce wildfire risk, or bring preparedness training to a community before the next emergency.
