A group of Isla Vista residents held a cash donation drop-off event on Jan. 12 to collect money for organizations aiding the Los Angeles fire effort and people affected by it. They sold baked goods, photo and art prints, along with hosting a raffle sponsored by local businesses and raised around $12,000. 

Six UCSB students raised $12,000 for organizations working to alleviate the Los Angeles fires and help those affected by them. Morgan Guest / Daily Nexus

The Los Angeles fires have burned 40,000 acres from Jan. 7-13 and displaced thousands of people, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Out of three major fires — Eaton, Hurst and the Pacific Palisades — the Pacific Palisades fire has been the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history. As a central coast school, many UCSB students have families and friends affected by the fires.

“We were all sitting around our dinner table, just hearing from friends and family and on the news about the horrible fires down in LA,” event organizer and third-year sociology major Cassandra Kellum said. “We just felt helpless and wanted to take action and do something that was different from donating clothes. We wanted to go directly to the organizations.”

The organizers, six UCSB students, hosted the event at their residence on the 68 block of Trigo Road on Sunday. All of the proceeds went to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, the California Fire Foundation and the California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Recovery Fund. 

Local businesses, including Loquita, M.Special Brewing Company, Oat Bakery, CorePower Yoga and Dart Coffee Co., among others, sponsored the raffle with redeemable coupons for wetsuits, backpacks, yoga lessons, store credit and more.

Within the first two hours of the event, the group collectively raised $2,000. The event was promoted through word-of-mouth and social media, and many of the participants were I.V. residents.

Event organizer Liv Hume, a fourth-year environmental studies major, grew up in Santa Monica, where the 2019 Malibu Fire destroyed many of her friends’ homes. She said her home took in two displaced families. The current fires remind her of her “worst day ever.”

“My cousin’s grandparents lost their house in Malibu,” Hume said. “They literally lost everything, like they weren’t even able to take a single family photo album out.”

One of the participating businesses, Sunshiney Cupcakes, is run by fourth-year film and media studies major Lily Fitzgerald. As a local business owner with ties in the community, she helped the effort on two fronts.

“I have friends whose families lost everything. So it definitely made me compelled to help any way that I could. So I reached out to some local businesses that I work for, including Bettina and Acme Hospitality, and they were so generous to donate gift cards for our raffle,” she said. 

Many Isla Vista residents, who mostly go to UC Santa Barbara or Santa Barbara City College, felt compelled to show face at the event, as they were personally affected or knew somebody affected by the fires.

“I’m from Hermosa Beach, so I’m from the South Bay. It’s about 25 minutes south of LA. [I’m] fortunate enough to have avoided the fires myself, but I know a lot of people that were affected, so I’m gonna support that my friends put this on for everybody,” fourth-year communication major Kiefer Thuotte said. 

The event was the first fundraising event to be held in I.V. for the Los Angeles fires. In other aid, the FoodBank of Santa Barbara County has provided 10 pallets of water to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, according to a press release, and many businesses across Santa Barbara have provided discounted or free admission to evacuees, like Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. Visit Santa Barbara has also worked with hotels across the South Coast to offer discounted rates for evacuees.

 A version of this article appeared on p. 3 of the Jan. 16, 2025 edition of the Daily Nexus.

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Lizzy Rager
Lizzy Rager (she/her) is the Lead News Editor for the 2024-25 school year. She can be reached at lizzyrager@dailynexus.com