Restoring Hope Through Sacred Community Care

Wildfire relief

San Gabriel Valley West LA

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

In the wake of the 2025 wildfires, senior survivors in Altadena and Pasadena have been left with more than material losses—they’re carrying grief, trauma, isolation, and emotional exhaustion. Many lost homes, pets, mobility, and community anchors. In our work on the ground, those affected by the fires have shared feeling forgotten, overwhelmed, and spiritually depleted. One elder described her experience as “horrific and depressing,” and said it was the first time she had laughed in months during our program. Another attendee expressed how the event helped her and her son eat more fruits and vegetables again. These people need spaces that gently restore dignity and joy, especially those with limited income or access to care. This moment calls for urgent emotional, physical, and spiritual nourishment. Without targeted support, their suffering—often invisible—will deepen. Our initiative is a response to that unmet need, grounded in compassion, community, and holistic healing.

Restoring Hope Through Sacred Community Care is a trauma-informed wellness program supporting senior wildfire survivors in Altadena and Pasadena through community-centered healing events. Each event offers free plant-based meals, a mobile farmers market, and activities that nurture emotional wellness and joy. Program components include:
Plant-based nourishment: Fresh meals and take-home produce promote healing and food security. We offer plant-based milks, cheeses, desserts, and teas to support lung detox and whole-body recovery along with booklets that provide nutritional guidance and recipes.
Movement & laughter: Gentle, low-impact movement combined with vocalized faith based affirmations to reprogram the heart and mind.
Laughter yoga to relieve trauma stored in the body. One participant shared how the experience helped her release grief and feel “light and free.”
Art Therapy
Cultural connection: We include soul line dancing, spiritual encouragement, and humor to uplift and reflect the lived experiences of the elders we serve.
Joyful community spaces: These events center joy, dignity, and community care—not pity—making healing approachable and lasting.

This initiative is unique because it doesn’t treat wildfire relief as just shelter or supplies—it’s a holistic intervention that meets people where they are, with love and respect. With LA2050 support, we will expand to reach more neighborhoods and deepen our impact, creating joyful spaces of restoration.

If successful and it will be, this initiative will help transform post-disaster recovery in Los Angeles County by modeling how community care can restore emotional wellbeing and joy. In the next year, we will expand the program to serve additional neighborhoods affected by the wildfires, reaching at least 200 senior participants. Each event will offer healing through food, movement, and connection—providing access to plant-based wellness in culturally resonant, uplifting ways. Long term, we envision building a replicable model of trauma-informed elder wellness that can be offered throughout LA County following crises. Seniors will feel seen, nourished, and valued—not just as survivors, but as sacred community members. This initiative helps Los Angeles become a place where recovery is not just about rebuilding homes—but restoring spirits.