After the L.A. fires, a donation drive for young men became a refuge

The Altadena Teen Boys Recovery Event, held at Chain House, offered new gear and camaraderie to boys and their families displaced by the Eaton fire.

LOS ANGELES — Vincent Bugarin had a lot on his mind as he stood in a line that snaked down a residential block in East Hollywood.

His family had lost everything in the Eaton Fire when it ravaged Altadena. The flames stole their home, along with a pickup truck, bicycles and sports jerseys his father had left him when he died in 2022.

“A lot of people tell me it’s just material things,” said Bugarin, 19, who is now staying with family in Glendale. But “it’s really your heart,” he said. “It’s hard to soak in.”

On Wednesday, though, things were different. Bugarin was one of roughly 200 visitors that day to Altadena Teen Boys Fire Recovery, a six-day donation drive that became a way station in central Los Angeles for boys and their families displaced by the Eaton Fire.

Inside, after passing through red velvet curtains in the lobby, he joined other young men and their families walking around piles of donated shoes, hoodies and sunglasses, many still shrink-wrapped. Full-size face wash, shampoo and shaving supplies lined the bar.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/altadena-teen-boys-donation-drive-los-angeles-fires-rcna188726

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