Convoy of Hope brings Wildfire Relief to Los Angeles Victims
Convoy of Hope, based in Springfield, was one of the first organizations on the ground in Los Angeles to help victims of the ongoing wildfires.
The ministry has a distribution center based in Sacramento, Calif., which has sent more than a half-dozen trucks with supplies to the Los Angeles area. Their trucks deliver the relief supplies to local churches and other organizations in the area where they know people will be. From there, they start distributing essentials to anyone who needs them.
The Palisades fire has burned nearly 39,000 acres, blowing through thousands of homes and businesses. More than 3,700 fire personnel are fighting the devastating blazes alone. Containment is slow, grueling work. Convoy’s response already has distributed over 100,000 pounds of relief supplies and served more than 5,400 people in affected areas.
READ: Wildfire toll on churches grows
“We found out what the need was immediately, and we started sending down water, relief supplies, hygiene kits, things that people need right away to be able to continue to live,” the organization’s Ryan Allen said. “When you’ve got a family, you’ve got children and you’re just running for your life. We send down those essential relief supplies.”
Allen said with disasters such as the wildfires in Los Angeles, getting supplies to those who really need them can present a challenge. “One of the hard things about this disaster is that people kind of scatter,” he said. “They go wherever they can go. No one really goes to a central place.”
Allen said Convoy of Hope plans to continue sending truckloads of relief supplies as long as they’re needed.
“They’re upside down,” he said. “The world has been changed dramatically and forever. It’ll never be the same. And if all we can do is help them have a sense of peace and a little bit of hope that somebody on the other side cares, we’re here to help. That means the world sometimes.”
To support the relief effort, visit www.convoyofhope.org.
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice
