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California Fire Victims Toy Drive Wrap Up
Thanks to everyone's support, we hit the goal as well as distributed toys and more to families in need!
Jess Loren
February 25, 2025
Mattress and Toys drop off @ Metropolitan Baptist Church
Our own Albert and Drake made the trip to Altadena to deliver boxes of toys to the Metropolitan Baptist Church. Thanks to everyone’s generous donations, we had a total of over 200 toys that we collected and were able to give to the church.
Metropolitan Baptist Church has a long history of serving and being a part of Altadena’s Black community as noted in the Fox 11 news article linked below. This article was how we found about the church and their efforts to give back to the community in the first place. Upon reading it, we knew that we found a great place to partner up with that would ensure that the toys would go directly to those in need.
Across the street from this church lay the carnage that was left behind due to the Eaton fires. The church itself caught on fire but somehow managed to stay standing and is now a light to the community as it organizes efforts to give back to the city and those that were affected by the fires.
Damage from fires in Altadena
The Metropolitan Baptist Church connected us with the Music Changing Lives company. They are a nonprofit organization that is teaming up with the church in order to organize efforts that will hand out resources and necessities. Our main point of contact was Josiah Bruny, the owner and CEO of the nonprofit. We spoke to him as well as someone who worked alongside him who both told us that they have been working tirelessly to restore the spirit of the city and re-establish some sense of normalcy to those that have been displaced.
Through Music Changing Lives, we met with the Dove family, one of many families that needed to relocate in order to restart their lives after losing everything in the fire. We had a brand-new mattress that someone had donated to us and we were able to personally deliver it to them in their new home. Their family had expressed how they had to start all over from the bottom-up and that this was a step in the right direction for them to start moving forward.
Robert Dove, father of the Dove family who lost their home and belongings in the fires receiving a donated mattress.
California Fire Victims Toy Drive Survey Giveaway
Alongside all of the toys that we had donated to the Metropolitan Baptist Church, we were also able to create care packages for the families that filled out our survey!
We’re in the process of distributing the rest of the toys this coming week.
This initiative began with one simple mission—to support the children and families impacted by the devastating California fires. In times of hardship, even the smallest gestures can bring comfort and hope. Thanks to your kindness, we’re now turning these donations into moments of joy for those who need them most.
To everyone who contributed—your generosity is making a real difference. Let’s continue to stand together and bring hope to these families! 💫
~Jess Loren
Remainder of toys going to families from our survey!
Reach out to [email protected] for any questions regarding the toy drive