MY COMMUNITY EFFORTS
REBUILDING.
All pictures taken by Angelina Wang.
For me personally, volunteering meant stepping into a warehouse overflowing with generosity. We had to sort through thousands of donated items, organizing pile after pile into something usable, but each item carried the weight of a neighbor’s care, a quiet message that said, “We see you, and we want to help.”
But the work became real when families stopped by to pick up the care packages I had personally assembled. Handing over a bag filled with food and essentials, I felt a quiet pride that my small effort mattered. In that moment, the supplies weren’t just things—they were threads of comfort, binding strangers together in the smoke of recovery.
THE BEGINNING
All pictures taken by Angelina Wang.
The Pasadena wildfire began when dry Santa Ana winds whipped through brush that hadn’t seen rain in months. In minutes, a spark spread into a roaring blaze that crept into neighborhoods, forcing families to pack in haste and flee.
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From above, helicopters dropped water on flames racing toward homes. On the ground, streets turned into ash lined with charred wood. For some, all that was left outside their houses was charcoal where memories once stood.​​
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That night, my friends and I used the MALAN Fire Resources, deciding to go to Pasadena's Union Station to help the community through acts of service.
STILL HEALING.
All pictures taken by Angelina Wang.
Even today, recovery is far from over. Families continue to rebuild homes while others start over in new neighborhoods and towns. The loss doesn’t end when the flames are gone—it lingers in the long process of finding stability again.
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Alongside these individual journeys, community leaders have stepped in to create collective spaces for healing. Platforms like Engage California—which connects residents with mental health resources, local support networks, and community events—offer a place for reflection and shared resilience. They provide more than just information; they give survivors a way to voice their experiences, find comfort in solidarity, and move toward rebuilding not just structures, but lives.
