January 18, 2025 • 30 mins
Amy King continues filling in for Neil, live from the Dream Center LA, sharing how listeners can support wildfire victims by donating at kfiam640.com/donate. She speaks with Brady, a wildfire victim, about his personal experience, and the challenges of recovery.
Dream Center Programs Director Kelly Bradley joins to highlight how the center is providing essential aid to those displaced by the fires. Amy also shares practical advice on what to bring if you’re donating items and celebrates restaurants stepping up to help Angelenos in need. The hour wraps with Athena Stamos, founder of Cat Cafe Lounge, discussing their efforts to support cat adoption for pets affected by the disaster.
Dream Center Programs Director Kelly Bradley joins to highlight how the center is providing essential aid to those displaced by the fires. Amy also shares practical advice on what to bring if you’re donating items and celebrates restaurants stepping up to help Angelenos in need. The hour wraps with Athena Stamos, founder of Cat Cafe Lounge, discussing their efforts to support cat adoption for pets affected by the disaster.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, it's Neil Savedra. You're listening to KFI AM six
forty the Fork Report on demand on the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
This is your Fork Report Saturday afternoon. I am not
the Fork Reporter Neil Sevadra six, so I'm standing in
for him. This is Amy King, and we're broadcasting live
today from dream Center, LA. Taking your donations for the
Palisades and Eaten fire victims. And if you're not gonna
(00:27):
join us and not be able to join us to
make a donation today, you can always make a donation
at KFI AM six forty dot com slash donate And
if it's five bucks, that's fine. If it's ten bucks,
that's fine. If it's ten thousand, that'd be even greater.
But I tell you we're getting donations.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
You know what people can afford. We know that times
are tough.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
We know that you've got a lot a lot of
pressure to pay your bills and do everything that you
need to do on a daily basis.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
So if you've got an.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Extra five or ten or twenty bucks, we appreciate that
and we'll take it again. It's a u kfi A
six forty dot com slash donate Okay, So why are
we here, Well, we're here to help the victims of
these fires. And I mentioned a little bit earlier that
I was hearing a story of one of the gentlemen
(01:16):
who actually lost his home.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
And so we have Brady with us.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Hi, Brady him, Thanks for thanks for coming and talking
to us.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
And I want to talk.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
A little bit about you and your story because people
need to understand who they're going to be helping when
they make a donation to Dream Center.
Speaker 4 (01:35):
LA.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
So you were going about your business last week, yes,
and tell us what happened.
Speaker 5 (01:44):
We kind of a warning that we were probably going
to be evacuated.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
And what time did this happen.
Speaker 5 (01:53):
It was on the seventh round ten pm.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Okay, so Tuesday night about then, Yeah.
Speaker 6 (02:00):
We may be evacuated.
Speaker 5 (02:02):
Then the next morning, roughly around four point thirty, the
alarm went off stating we had to evacuate because fires
were moving in and closer from the eaton canyon side.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
Okay, and you're up in are you in Altadena?
Speaker 6 (02:21):
At Altadena?
Speaker 5 (02:24):
And at that point my wife and daughter were going
to leave immediately, and I thought, well, maybe I could
stick around and fight the fire, which I did.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
And how long did you do that?
Speaker 6 (02:38):
For about two and a half hours?
Speaker 2 (02:40):
And how did you fight a fire with one hundred
mile an hour winds and fifty foot flames?
Speaker 6 (02:46):
Not very well?
Speaker 5 (02:49):
But I decided to wet the whole landscape of not
only my yard but my roof my neighbor's yard are
fenced and every around, and.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Were you the only one there? Did everybody?
Speaker 5 (03:03):
Everyone got out? My neighbors were gone. Everyone was pretty
much gone at that point. So it seemed my neighbor's
yard to the west seemed to have caught fire first,
and the trees lent were right next to our fence
(03:24):
that caught the fence on fire. And another part of
the house on the north side ended up catching on
fire from a tree on a neighbor's area in northwest?
Speaker 2 (03:35):
And how quickly did that all happen once the fires started,
once they caught on the homes.
Speaker 5 (03:41):
It was over a two hour period, but it seemed
like twenty minutes. It was so fast.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
And when did you realize you were fighting a losing
battle and needed to get out to save your own life.
Speaker 5 (03:54):
The air outside was really bad from the smoke, but
when I went inside for a moment, it was worse
inside the house, yeah, than the outside. And it was
at that point that I decided to get out.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
And as we mentioned a few minutes ago, Brady shared
some videos literally driving away watching your house burn down.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
Yes, how do you even put words to that?
Speaker 5 (04:24):
You can't. Unfortunately, there's nothing that can be done. And
I just had to get out otherwise I was.
Speaker 6 (04:33):
Going to probably go down with it.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
So yeah, and so you immediately you got out of
the neighborhood and thank god you're okay, and you went
to stay with your sister.
Speaker 5 (04:44):
We were going to We went to stay with my
mother in law Arizona. Oh, okay, just to get out
of the arms away.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
Okay. So now you're back, and have you been able
to go see the house yet? No?
Speaker 6 (04:55):
I tried, but it looks like a war zone.
Speaker 5 (04:59):
There's National Guard and sheriffs and highway patrol and anything
you can imagine. But we're not allowed to go into
the streets of where our home is.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
So then you came to Dream Center, La. Yes, And
what do you do when you come to dream Center, LA,
Because again, you guys have lost everything.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
Yeah, so what's your first step? What happened when you.
Speaker 5 (05:24):
Got here, well, I was more than impressed by all
of the things that are available from food, water, clothing,
toys for kids and what have you. I mean, it's
it's really an impressive operation here. I had mentioned, Yeah,
(05:47):
I'm not where I want to be, but someday I
will and I'm certain that I'd love to be able
to get back for what I've been able to receive
in just this short period of time.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
So it's pretty it's humbling to see how people have
come forward.
Speaker 6 (06:03):
It really is.
Speaker 5 (06:07):
I can't wait to be able to help others like
I'm myself and my family have been helped.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
I love I just I love that spirit.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
And Brady, you know what, I'm so glad you got
out and I hope you, you know, will get back
on your feet. And you're going to and it's going
to be a long road, but we know that the
Dream Center LA is going to be here to help you.
They've got you know, they've they've got the relief, they've
got the recovery, they've got the rebuilding, and they're going
to be there holding your hand and helping you get
(06:35):
back on your feet again. And so we're so happy
that you're that you're here and your family is safe,
and thank you for stopping by and you take care
you Wow, Brady, What this is? This, Brady, is who
your donations are going to. Your monetary donations, your donations
of water, your donations of chapsticks, sunscreen, work clothes.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
All those things. They need it.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
The people of Los Angeles need you now, and you
can step up. Here's how you do it. Make a
donation at Dream Center LA two three zero one Bellvue.
We're here until seven o'clock tonight. We're in Echo Park,
and if you would like, you can also make a
donation online as we mentioned KFI AM six forty dot
com slash donate whether it's five bucks or ten bucks,
(07:23):
or twenty bucks or.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Five thousand, we'll take it. They need it.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
The line of people coming in right now with their
trunks open to pick up donations, Brady, You're not alone.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
Look at this line of people.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
All of these people are affected and we thank you,
thank you ahead of time for your help and your support.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
We appreciate it.
Speaker 4 (07:42):
You're listening to the Fork Report with Neil Savedra on
demand from KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
I'm Amy King sitting in for Neil. Savandra.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
This afternoon, we're live at Dreams Center LA to help
raise money and take donations for the victims of the Palisades.
And they eat in fires and the need is great
and the response is even greater.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
I can tell you.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Looking now, we've got cars backed up, kind of peeked
out onto the street.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
They're lined up for blocks.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
And when they pull into the parking lot, they're greeted
by a volunteer said, and they say, pop the trunk,
what do you need? And they come through and there
are pallettes and palettes of supplies that you have so
generously donated. And it's just amazing to see the response.
But you know what, we need more donations because there's
(08:32):
over twelve thousand homes and buildings affected. We don't know
the exact number of homes, but if you look at
that number of just homes, that's like fifty thousand people
at least. And we're seeing people. We just saw there's
a minivan pulled in.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
I see cheese.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
It's in their window, I mean, and it's full. And
there's a pickup truck that's pulling in and it is full.
So if you have the ability, please come and bring
your donation. Of course, non perishable foods are tops on
the list. We just found out we need sunscreen, chapstick,
and work gloves. Can you imagine how many work gloves
you're going to go through as these people get back
(09:11):
into the neighborhoods to see what they have left, to
see what is left of their whole world, Like Brady
who lost everything, We're taking both monetary and physical donations,
and so we wanted to get on with the director
of programs for Dream Center LA, Kelly Bradley.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
Good afternoon, Kelly.
Speaker 7 (09:30):
Hi Amy, thanks so much for having me.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
I know that we got to meet the other day
and we were talking about some of the unlikely victims,
and we'll talk a little bit about that, but I
want to talk about the programs, like because you know,
when we think of people losing their homes, well it's
not only home owners, but there's renters. And we've got
people who you know, rented the apartment buildings have burned
(09:54):
down and they show up at Dream Center LA and say,
what what now?
Speaker 3 (09:57):
I didn't own this home, but my my home.
Speaker 7 (10:00):
Is gone right right. You know, that's some of the
saddest stories I've heard all week. Is from people who
were renting their place and they were long term renters.
They kind of were in a rent controlled building and
so it was affordable. It was something that they've had
for a long time, and now they have nothing and
they don't know what's next. And so we've been able
(10:22):
to open up many rooms at the Dream Center for
those that have been impacted. Many of them had a
temporary place to go for the first few days after
the fires. That there is going to be a time
where that temporary solution is no longer viable, and so
we are planning and preparing to be able to take
in individuals and families over the next several weeks to
(10:43):
months and allow them, you know, a minimum of a
six months stay so that they don't have to worry
about their bills, or they don't have to worry about
where they're going to sleep at night, everything completely free,
so that they can really take the time that they
need to save up and figure out what's next. So
that's one of the I think saddest parts of this
tragedy is that it does impact on so many levels
(11:05):
that we haven't even scratched the surface of seeing the
need at this point.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
So Kelly we are.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
We've been telling KFI listeners that people are making the
donations at KFI AM six forty dot com slash donate
and donating what they can, whether it's five or ten
or twenty dollars or one hundred dollars. We are always
happy to take those donations. They're all going to Dream
Center LA. Well, people are now they're saying, hey, well,
what is my money going to? And so we wanted
(11:34):
to address that a little bit, like specifically, what is
that money going to. We know that you're a registered
five oh one C three, you're a legitimate.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
Nonprofit, but what is that money going to?
Speaker 2 (11:44):
Just to put people's minds at rest, Because we know
that there are some bad actors out there, dream Center
LA isn't one of them, So so tell us a
little bit about what exactly the money is going to.
Speaker 7 (11:54):
Yeah, So I think we have multiple layers happening, which
is the great part of the Dream Center. We've been
able to mobilize quickly and pivot quickly. So one of
the things that everyone is seeing is that a mobile
relief line. That's a huge part of what we're doing currently.
But at the same time, we've opened up a temporary shelter.
We're opening up long term rooms so that will include
(12:15):
all of their electricity, their guests, their water, their powers,
their toiletries, their cleaning supplies, their clothing, their food. Three
meals a day we serve at the Dream Centers and
they are able to stay with us for months. Additionally,
we're partnering with a school from the Eaten Fire that
was completely burned to the ground, and we're partnering with
(12:35):
them and we're actually going to be hopefully actually housing
their elementary school at the Dream Center starting in two
weeks for the next six to eight weeks while they
try to find a more permanent location since their school
has been completely leveled to the ground, and so that
we will be creating classrooms and we will be getting
chromebooks because all of their chromebooks for the students were
(12:55):
burned in the fire. So right currently they have nothing
for their students to get back to school with. They
have no supplies, no paper, no chromebooks. So we're going
to be helping that school get up and running, and
we're going to be sponsoring a lot of those families
that we're hearing the stories of, just helping them get
the things that they need and really helping them kind
(13:16):
of get some money, get some supplies, get some things
that they're going to need for that next step. And
our commitment is to be with these families for the
long haul. We want to be able to We can't
help everyone. You said, the numbers, they're overwhelming, but we
want to help those that we can, and we want
to help them for the long haul. We're not going
to just be here for a couple of weeks. We
really want to stay committed to them and help them
(13:38):
actually figure out what's next and rebuild.
Speaker 3 (13:41):
Yeah, I think and I think that that's something important.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
What they're picking up, the supplies they're getting today, that's
the quick fix.
Speaker 7 (13:49):
Yes, that's just scratching the surface. I think the real
needs will be uncovered as the weeks continue. Most of
these families haven't even been able to go back to
see their home to go through what's happening. We're going
to be doing doing massive cleanup efforts with the families,
going in with them, doing ash cleanup, trying to do
our part and helping them figure out what's happened, what
(14:09):
can be saved, if anything, and then help them rebuild.
If that's what they want to do.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
I love that holding your hand along the way, because
this is not a short journey. This is one that's
going to take months and years. And Dream Center Ellie
is doing such great work. We're so happy that iHeart
Radio has been able to partner with you and continue
that partnership. Kelly Bradley, thank you so much. We appreciate you.
Thank you, appreciate what you're.
Speaker 7 (14:34):
Doing, and thank you to all the listeners and thank
you to iHeart all Right.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
Thank us, Kelly.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
Wow, it's amazing, Like you don't even think about that,
Like like Britty said, he said, they haven't even thought
about what to do next. Where are you going to live?
I mean, can you you can stay with friends for
a week? Can you stay with your friends for six months?
How long is it going to take to rebuild? How
long is it going to be before they can get
back in their neighborhood.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
Where are they going to get a toothbrush?
Speaker 2 (15:02):
I mean some of it is that the need is
that basic, and that's where you come in. So if
you can make a donation, load up your car, bring
it on down to Dream Center La again with Fork Report.
Speaker 3 (15:13):
We're here till five.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
They're taking donations until seven tonight, and then they're gonna
do a little reboot tomorrow. They've been going NonStop since
the fire started, and then they're going to reopen to
accept donations again and also to give out the donations
to the people who need it most. And that's going
to start up again on Monday noon to seven at
dream Center LA.
Speaker 3 (15:34):
Again.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
The address if you can come down this afternoon, we
would appreciate it so much, twenty three oh one Bellevue
in Los Angeles.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
It's in Echo Park and we hope you can help.
And for everybody who has already helped, Wow, it's humbling.
Good on you, Los Angeles.
Speaker 4 (15:51):
You're listening to the Fork Report with Nil Savedra on
demand from KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
We are live today at dream Center LA and Echo Park,
where here watching people drive in car after car after
car to drop off donations to help out the victims
of the Palisades and they eat in fires and on
the flip side, we're also seeing car after car after
car come in and accept those donations. It's amazing to
(16:20):
watch them come in. As I was telling you a
little bit earlier, they're lined up down the street outside
the parking lot. They come in talk to a volunteer.
The volunteer says, okay, we're gonna set you up. Pop
your trunk. What do you need, And then they go
through the different stations. At this one they're loading up water.
At this one, they've got diapers. At this one, they've
got food. At this one they've got paper towels. At
(16:40):
this one they've got toiletries. Because the need is great.
These are people affected by the fires that have decimated Alta,
Dina and Pacific Palisades and parts of them. Anyway, here
are the things that they are asking for now at
the Dream Center, if you can bring them, if you
can bring them by. Oh, there's the there's another pickup
(17:00):
loaded full. The back is loaded full with donations, and
we so so appreciate it. But here's what they're looking for.
Non perishable food items, bottled water, sports drinks for hydration,
hygiene products, things like toothpaste, toothbrushes, soaps, shampoos, feminine products,
and of course they got to take care of the
little babies. They got baby supplies, diapers, formula wipes, baby food,
(17:24):
air purifiers.
Speaker 3 (17:25):
And masks. I don't know if you guys are feeling it.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
They're saying the air quality is fine, but we know
that there's a lot of nastiness in that air, and
especially as people go back into if their home has
been damaged. Maybe their home wasn't burned down, but damage,
they're going to need those air purifiers and masks, flashlights, batteries,
portable phone chargers in case there are more power outages,
or for the people who had to leave everything behind
(17:50):
and they just don't have that anymore.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
First aid kits, medical supplies, pet food supplies.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
For those with animals, course, cleaning supplies because the cleanup
is going to be a long, long cleanup, so cleaning supplies, mops, buckets, disinfectants, gloves,
and then we just got this today. They need sunscreen
and chapstick and working gloves.
Speaker 3 (18:11):
Gonna need a lot of gloves.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
As you start going through what is left of the
homes or the homes that are still standing that we're damaged.
You can drop off the donations at the Dream Center.
We're here with Fork Report until five. Dream Center's taking
donations until seven o'clock this evening. They're gonna reboot tomorrow,
take a little break and kind of regroup, and then
all next week, Monday through Saturday, from noon to seven,
(18:34):
Dream Center LA is going to be taking donations.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
So if you can't get out here.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
Today, maybe go through your cupboards and say, I can
I can do without this, I can do without it.
Or maybe take a trip to the store and load
up your cart and then bring it down to Dream
Center LA when you get a chance again.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
The address is twenty three to one. And I was
thinking about.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
This because I'm saying a lot of the same things
as we go through this, but I'm saying them because
we need to hear them, we need to be reminded
of them, because this isn't going away. This is just
getting going. Like we we were just talking with Kelly
Bradley as the director of programs.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
Right now, this is.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
Just the initial, the very very start of what these
people need.
Speaker 3 (19:18):
They've lost everything, so.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
The donations that they're this is kind of like the
quick fix so they can get some food and supplies
and that kind of stuff. But the need is going
to go on for a long long time. And Dream
Center LA is helping people. They're providing housing, they're providing
services to help them, like say, here's what we need
to do next, because the recovery and the rebuilding is
what comes next.
Speaker 3 (19:41):
Right now, we're still in rescue and relief.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
There's lots of organizations restaurants that are also helping to
raise money, and I wanted to mention a couple of those,
and they're doing some really great things. So when you go,
when you frequent these businesses, it's going to go to
help the people of who've been affected by the fires.
So Friends and Family has a bakery in Silver Lake
and East Hollywood.
Speaker 3 (20:05):
I love this.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
They're going to be selling whole grain Brioche cinnamon rolls.
One hundred percent of the proceeds are going to the
people who've lost their homes and also to animal shelters
Big Fan attending to displaced pets through this Sunday at nine,
So you can either maybe go tomorrow morning and get one,
go and buy a cinnamon roll for a twenty five dollars,
(20:26):
donation for for fifty dollars, a dozen cinnamon rolls for
one hundred dollars, and that's a fifty one to fifty
Hollywood Boulevard. And again, one hundred percent of the proceeds
are going to go to the people who've been displaced
by the fires. Detroit Takaria in downtown Enriqui Old Vera
has a duck carnita that's to die for, and he's
(20:48):
created this duck carneita, and one hundred percent of the
proceeds for the carneitas are going to help communities affected
by the fires. Linden and Hollywood donating twenty percent of
their proceeds to the California Community Foundation on top of
a donation of twenty thousand dollars.
Speaker 3 (21:04):
Thank you Linden Hollywood.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
If you think about that, donating twenty percent of your
proceeds from January for a restaurant, they don't have huge margins,
and to donate twenty percent of what they bring in,
that's a lot. So every donation helps. So when you
frequent these businesses, they're all helping to help your neighbors,
your friends. The people in all Toa Dina Pasadena, Pacific
(21:27):
Palisades Baru Downtown is donating ten percent of all sales
through Sunday to World Central Kitchen and the National Day
Labor Organizing Network. And that's going on, and then we've
got more we're going to share with you because there's
a lot of restaurants who are doing things so you
can go out, grab a bite and help a really
(21:48):
good cause. And Angelino's God bless you. This is heartwarming
to see, especially in the face of how devastating these
fires were.
Speaker 3 (21:58):
We're going to come back.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
We're going to be talking King with the Dream Center,
LA's executive director of leadership Development.
Speaker 3 (22:06):
That's coming up.
Speaker 2 (22:06):
We're also going to We're going to talk about a
place that you can go to kind of escape from
all of the stress, maybe for first responders and people
who are out of their homes right now.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
It's in West LA. It's the Cat Cafe Lounge.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
And I think you're going to want to hear about it,
So that's coming up next.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
You've been listening to The Fork Report, you can always
hear us live on KFI AM six forty two to
five pm on Saturday and anytime on demand on the
iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
This is Amy King in for Neil Savedro is still
a little under the weather, so we're giving him the
day off to rest and recuperate. He needs to be,
you know, at one hundred percent strength when he takes
on Bill Handle on Monday morning. We're we're on location
this afternoon at Dream Center LA. You know why, because
(22:57):
we are taking donations and money to help the people
who had their lives absolutely turned upside down in the
Palisades and eaten fires. Not only the people who've lost
their homes completely, but the others who still can't get
back into their neighborhoods who had severe damage to their
home even though they're still standing. Like they're talking about
(23:18):
how I was listening to one interview and they said,
you know, my house is still standing, but we're gonna
have to throw out everything inside because it's also damaged
in the smoke. And when we were talking to Brady
last hour, he was talking about right before his house
burned down, he was trying to protect it. He went
inside and he said the smoke inside the house was worse.
(23:39):
So again he lost his house. But for the people
who didn't lose their homes, there's gonna be a lot
of rebuilding that needs to be done. So this is
an incredibly stressful time, as we know, and so we
wanted to lighten it up just a little bit. And
so here here is the thing that you can do.
(23:59):
We are doing a special out and about Yeah. I
do this feature on Wake Up Call every week we
go out and about to kind of fun places. So
this is a fun place, but they're actually doing something
for the first responders and the people who have been
affected in the fires. So we went to the Cat
Cafe Lounge in West la and caught up with Athena.
Staymos No, normally this is a place to come and
(24:21):
have a coffee and hang out and play with cats.
But during this time that is so stressful for so many,
it may be a bit of a break and a
safe haven. So Athena, what is Cat Cafe Lounge doing
to help people affected by the wildfires?
Speaker 1 (24:35):
Sure?
Speaker 8 (24:35):
Well, so we're a nonprofit cat cafe and unfortunately not
a shelter, so we're not able to you know, help
people house animals right now, and so we're like, what
can we do?
Speaker 5 (24:47):
Yep?
Speaker 8 (24:48):
And I think people really need a little calm right now,
and so we are offering free thirty or seventy minute
visits to anyone who was had to evacuate from the fires,
lost their homes first responders. They can go to the
website and use the code of per relief that's pure relief.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
To book their visit.
Speaker 8 (25:10):
And you know, cats are so calming and they really
bring you to the present moment. Yeah, and so we're
really hoping that being able to come here to a
safe space and just kind of get away from the
noise and the news, which can be so overwhelming.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
Just take a pause, take a pause, and you know,
sit with.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
These cats and be in the present moment.
Speaker 8 (25:35):
They're purrs, are very relaxing and spending time with cats,
you know, release the serotonin.
Speaker 3 (25:44):
And look at Thomas, he's so happy. You know, this
is so much. I think this is great because, like you.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
Said, this time is so stressful, so many people are affected.
And even if you just get to escape for a
little while, if you've been affected by the wildfires, check
out this kiddie.
Speaker 3 (25:58):
If you've been.
Speaker 9 (25:58):
Affected by the wildfire, you can come down and sit
and have a coffee and relax and play with kiddies,
and you just never know you might end up taking
one home.
Speaker 3 (26:10):
Because these cats are all up for adoption. They are
all up for adoption.
Speaker 8 (26:13):
We work this guy's a little feisty, Miss Thomas, He's
very feisty. So we work with a rescue partner, kitt
and Rescue La Okay, And so all the cats here
are rescues, either from the street shelters and they kit
and rescue helps us with the health of the colony,
so all adoptions are through them.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
So I want to take a look around a little bit. Yeah,
because you said that they're out. They're not in cages,
which is so great, so you kind of get to
see their personalities.
Speaker 3 (26:42):
How they would normally react.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
If you look around here, there are little climbing places.
There's a cat freeway along to the ceiling. And then
also if you come out here, what do we have
out here?
Speaker 8 (26:57):
So as we walk through the cafe, we have a
kitten lunes to our rights and then we have our CaTiO.
Speaker 1 (27:04):
Get it.
Speaker 8 (27:05):
And this did help us stay open during the pandemic.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
It was built during that so and it was such
a great idea that you said, let's just keep it open.
The cats really love it.
Speaker 8 (27:14):
You know a lot of times shire cats in shelter
environments just don't thrive, and you know, unfortunately that can
mean you being euthanized. Yeah, and so you know, this
really can help shire cats who kind of need to
realize that humans are safe and everything's okay.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
Is that still Thomas is still Thomas. He loves following
you around. I'm going to miss this guy, okay, and
he just got adopted.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
And since you guys opened in what eighteen eighteen, how
many cats have been adopted?
Speaker 8 (27:43):
Approximately one two hundred and thirteen something like that.
Speaker 3 (27:48):
I love that. I love that.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
And how many cats are here at any given time
thirty five plus Okay, So there's lots of room for
them to run. As you can see, they're running and
jumping and playing, which is just what cats to do.
And I if you're a cat liver, I mean like,
this is a little slice of heaven for me because
it's just so fun to see them just hanging out
Athena Again, tell us how people come and take advantage
(28:10):
of this, And if you're not a first responder or
somebody affected by the fires, you can still come down
and do this.
Speaker 8 (28:16):
Oh yeah absolutely, I mean you know, anyone can come
and get cat therapy. And we are a nonprofit. Any
donation for entry really helps us out. Word of mouth
is so important to us. People can volunteer if they like.
There's other ways to get involved.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
And what's the website to go if you want to
make a reservation.
Speaker 8 (28:35):
Sure, it's just a catcafe lounge dot com.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
Cat Cafe Lounge. If you need to get away chill
out for a little bit, you're a first responder or
affected by the fires, you get to do it free
for right now.
Speaker 3 (28:46):
And is that through to January? When is that?
Speaker 8 (28:48):
We're running that as long as possible. I mean, you know,
we definitely have had a chunk of people using so far,
but it's going to be just as long as we
can sustain that since we also need to stay away
and function perfect.
Speaker 10 (29:02):
And of course, even if you're not a first responder
or affected by the fires, what a fun way to
come and spend an afternoon at Cafe Lounge. Cafe Lounge
dot com is the address, and it is really it
was just kind of a fun respite and for first
responders and people who've just like I said, had their
worlds turned upside down, maybe you just need a little
(29:23):
escape and that might be a great place for you
to do it. When we come back, we're going to
be talking to another person who is at Dream Center LA.
It's the executive director of Leadership Development and find out
more about where the money is going and some other
programs that are helping people not only today as they
pick up these supplies, but tomorrow and next week and
(29:44):
next month, maybe even next year. We are live at
Dream Center LA twenty three oh one Bellevue in Los Angeles.
Speaker 3 (29:52):
We're right in Echo Park. We're here until five o'clock
with FOURK Report.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
They'll be accepting donations until seven o'clock.
Speaker 3 (29:59):
Would love to see you here.
Speaker 4 (30:01):
You're listening to The Fork Report with Nil Savedra on
demand from KFI A M six forty
Hey, it's Neil Savedra. You're listening to KFI AM six
forty the Fork Report on demand on the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
This is your Fork Report Saturday afternoon. I am not
the Fork Reporter Neil Sevadra six, so I'm standing in
for him. This is Amy King, and we're broadcasting live
today from dream Center, LA. Taking your donations for the
Palisades and Eaten fire victims. And if you're not gonna
(00:27):
join us and not be able to join us to
make a donation today, you can always make a donation
at KFI AM six forty dot com slash donate And
if it's five bucks, that's fine. If it's ten bucks,
that's fine. If it's ten thousand, that'd be even greater.
But I tell you we're getting donations.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
You know what people can afford. We know that times
are tough.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
We know that you've got a lot a lot of
pressure to pay your bills and do everything that you
need to do on a daily basis.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
So if you've got an.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Extra five or ten or twenty bucks, we appreciate that
and we'll take it again. It's a u kfi A
six forty dot com slash donate Okay, So why are
we here, Well, we're here to help the victims of
these fires. And I mentioned a little bit earlier that
I was hearing a story of one of the gentlemen
(01:16):
who actually lost his home.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
And so we have Brady with us.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Hi, Brady him, Thanks for thanks for coming and talking
to us.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
And I want to talk.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
A little bit about you and your story because people
need to understand who they're going to be helping when
they make a donation to Dream Center.
Speaker 4 (01:35):
LA.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
So you were going about your business last week, yes,
and tell us what happened.
Speaker 5 (01:44):
We kind of a warning that we were probably going
to be evacuated.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
And what time did this happen.
Speaker 5 (01:53):
It was on the seventh round ten pm.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Okay, so Tuesday night about then, Yeah.
Speaker 6 (02:00):
We may be evacuated.
Speaker 5 (02:02):
Then the next morning, roughly around four point thirty, the
alarm went off stating we had to evacuate because fires
were moving in and closer from the eaton canyon side.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
Okay, and you're up in are you in Altadena?
Speaker 6 (02:21):
At Altadena?
Speaker 5 (02:24):
And at that point my wife and daughter were going
to leave immediately, and I thought, well, maybe I could
stick around and fight the fire, which I did.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
And how long did you do that?
Speaker 6 (02:38):
For about two and a half hours?
Speaker 2 (02:40):
And how did you fight a fire with one hundred
mile an hour winds and fifty foot flames?
Speaker 6 (02:46):
Not very well?
Speaker 5 (02:49):
But I decided to wet the whole landscape of not
only my yard but my roof my neighbor's yard are
fenced and every around, and.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Were you the only one there? Did everybody?
Speaker 5 (03:03):
Everyone got out? My neighbors were gone. Everyone was pretty
much gone at that point. So it seemed my neighbor's
yard to the west seemed to have caught fire first,
and the trees lent were right next to our fence
(03:24):
that caught the fence on fire. And another part of
the house on the north side ended up catching on
fire from a tree on a neighbor's area in northwest?
Speaker 2 (03:35):
And how quickly did that all happen once the fires started,
once they caught on the homes.
Speaker 5 (03:41):
It was over a two hour period, but it seemed
like twenty minutes. It was so fast.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
And when did you realize you were fighting a losing
battle and needed to get out to save your own life.
Speaker 5 (03:54):
The air outside was really bad from the smoke, but
when I went inside for a moment, it was worse
inside the house, yeah, than the outside. And it was
at that point that I decided to get out.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
And as we mentioned a few minutes ago, Brady shared
some videos literally driving away watching your house burn down.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
Yes, how do you even put words to that?
Speaker 5 (04:24):
You can't. Unfortunately, there's nothing that can be done. And
I just had to get out otherwise I was.
Speaker 6 (04:33):
Going to probably go down with it.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
So yeah, and so you immediately you got out of
the neighborhood and thank god you're okay, and you went
to stay with your sister.
Speaker 5 (04:44):
We were going to We went to stay with my
mother in law Arizona. Oh, okay, just to get out
of the arms away.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
Okay. So now you're back, and have you been able
to go see the house yet? No?
Speaker 6 (04:55):
I tried, but it looks like a war zone.
Speaker 5 (04:59):
There's National Guard and sheriffs and highway patrol and anything
you can imagine. But we're not allowed to go into
the streets of where our home is.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
So then you came to Dream Center, La. Yes, And
what do you do when you come to dream Center, LA,
Because again, you guys have lost everything.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
Yeah, so what's your first step? What happened when you.
Speaker 5 (05:24):
Got here, well, I was more than impressed by all
of the things that are available from food, water, clothing,
toys for kids and what have you. I mean, it's
it's really an impressive operation here. I had mentioned, Yeah,
(05:47):
I'm not where I want to be, but someday I
will and I'm certain that I'd love to be able
to get back for what I've been able to receive
in just this short period of time.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
So it's pretty it's humbling to see how people have
come forward.
Speaker 6 (06:03):
It really is.
Speaker 5 (06:07):
I can't wait to be able to help others like
I'm myself and my family have been helped.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
I love I just I love that spirit.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
And Brady, you know what, I'm so glad you got
out and I hope you, you know, will get back
on your feet. And you're going to and it's going
to be a long road, but we know that the
Dream Center LA is going to be here to help you.
They've got you know, they've they've got the relief, they've
got the recovery, they've got the rebuilding, and they're going
to be there holding your hand and helping you get
(06:35):
back on your feet again. And so we're so happy
that you're that you're here and your family is safe,
and thank you for stopping by and you take care
you Wow, Brady, What this is? This, Brady, is who
your donations are going to. Your monetary donations, your donations
of water, your donations of chapsticks, sunscreen, work clothes.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
All those things. They need it.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
The people of Los Angeles need you now, and you
can step up. Here's how you do it. Make a
donation at Dream Center LA two three zero one Bellvue.
We're here until seven o'clock tonight. We're in Echo Park,
and if you would like, you can also make a
donation online as we mentioned KFI AM six forty dot
com slash donate whether it's five bucks or ten bucks,
(07:23):
or twenty bucks or.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Five thousand, we'll take it. They need it.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
The line of people coming in right now with their
trunks open to pick up donations, Brady, You're not alone.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
Look at this line of people.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
All of these people are affected and we thank you,
thank you ahead of time for your help and your support.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
We appreciate it.
Speaker 4 (07:42):
You're listening to the Fork Report with Neil Savedra on
demand from KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
I'm Amy King sitting in for Neil. Savandra.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
This afternoon, we're live at Dreams Center LA to help
raise money and take donations for the victims of the Palisades.
And they eat in fires and the need is great
and the response is even greater.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
I can tell you.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Looking now, we've got cars backed up, kind of peeked
out onto the street.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
They're lined up for blocks.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
And when they pull into the parking lot, they're greeted
by a volunteer said, and they say, pop the trunk,
what do you need? And they come through and there
are pallettes and palettes of supplies that you have so
generously donated. And it's just amazing to see the response.
But you know what, we need more donations because there's
(08:32):
over twelve thousand homes and buildings affected. We don't know
the exact number of homes, but if you look at
that number of just homes, that's like fifty thousand people
at least. And we're seeing people. We just saw there's
a minivan pulled in.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
I see cheese.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
It's in their window, I mean, and it's full. And
there's a pickup truck that's pulling in and it is full.
So if you have the ability, please come and bring
your donation. Of course, non perishable foods are tops on
the list. We just found out we need sunscreen, chapstick,
and work gloves. Can you imagine how many work gloves
you're going to go through as these people get back
(09:11):
into the neighborhoods to see what they have left, to
see what is left of their whole world, Like Brady
who lost everything, We're taking both monetary and physical donations,
and so we wanted to get on with the director
of programs for Dream Center LA, Kelly Bradley.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
Good afternoon, Kelly.
Speaker 7 (09:30):
Hi Amy, thanks so much for having me.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
I know that we got to meet the other day
and we were talking about some of the unlikely victims,
and we'll talk a little bit about that, but I
want to talk about the programs, like because you know,
when we think of people losing their homes, well it's
not only home owners, but there's renters. And we've got
people who you know, rented the apartment buildings have burned
(09:54):
down and they show up at Dream Center LA and say,
what what now?
Speaker 3 (09:57):
I didn't own this home, but my my home.
Speaker 7 (10:00):
Is gone right right. You know, that's some of the
saddest stories I've heard all week. Is from people who
were renting their place and they were long term renters.
They kind of were in a rent controlled building and
so it was affordable. It was something that they've had
for a long time, and now they have nothing and
they don't know what's next. And so we've been able
(10:22):
to open up many rooms at the Dream Center for
those that have been impacted. Many of them had a
temporary place to go for the first few days after
the fires. That there is going to be a time
where that temporary solution is no longer viable, and so
we are planning and preparing to be able to take
in individuals and families over the next several weeks to
(10:43):
months and allow them, you know, a minimum of a
six months stay so that they don't have to worry
about their bills, or they don't have to worry about
where they're going to sleep at night, everything completely free,
so that they can really take the time that they
need to save up and figure out what's next. So
that's one of the I think saddest parts of this
tragedy is that it does impact on so many levels
(11:05):
that we haven't even scratched the surface of seeing the
need at this point.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
So Kelly we are.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
We've been telling KFI listeners that people are making the
donations at KFI AM six forty dot com slash donate
and donating what they can, whether it's five or ten
or twenty dollars or one hundred dollars. We are always
happy to take those donations. They're all going to Dream
Center LA. Well, people are now they're saying, hey, well,
what is my money going to? And so we wanted
(11:34):
to address that a little bit, like specifically, what is
that money going to. We know that you're a registered
five oh one C three, you're a legitimate.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
Nonprofit, but what is that money going to?
Speaker 2 (11:44):
Just to put people's minds at rest, Because we know
that there are some bad actors out there, dream Center
LA isn't one of them, So so tell us a
little bit about what exactly the money is going to.
Speaker 7 (11:54):
Yeah, So I think we have multiple layers happening, which
is the great part of the Dream Center. We've been
able to mobilize quickly and pivot quickly. So one of
the things that everyone is seeing is that a mobile
relief line. That's a huge part of what we're doing currently.
But at the same time, we've opened up a temporary shelter.
We're opening up long term rooms so that will include
(12:15):
all of their electricity, their guests, their water, their powers,
their toiletries, their cleaning supplies, their clothing, their food. Three
meals a day we serve at the Dream Centers and
they are able to stay with us for months. Additionally,
we're partnering with a school from the Eaten Fire that
was completely burned to the ground, and we're partnering with
(12:35):
them and we're actually going to be hopefully actually housing
their elementary school at the Dream Center starting in two
weeks for the next six to eight weeks while they
try to find a more permanent location since their school
has been completely leveled to the ground, and so that
we will be creating classrooms and we will be getting
chromebooks because all of their chromebooks for the students were
(12:55):
burned in the fire. So right currently they have nothing
for their students to get back to school with. They
have no supplies, no paper, no chromebooks. So we're going
to be helping that school get up and running, and
we're going to be sponsoring a lot of those families
that we're hearing the stories of, just helping them get
the things that they need and really helping them kind
(13:16):
of get some money, get some supplies, get some things
that they're going to need for that next step. And
our commitment is to be with these families for the
long haul. We want to be able to We can't
help everyone. You said, the numbers, they're overwhelming, but we
want to help those that we can, and we want
to help them for the long haul. We're not going
to just be here for a couple of weeks. We
really want to stay committed to them and help them
(13:38):
actually figure out what's next and rebuild.
Speaker 3 (13:41):
Yeah, I think and I think that that's something important.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
What they're picking up, the supplies they're getting today, that's
the quick fix.
Speaker 7 (13:49):
Yes, that's just scratching the surface. I think the real
needs will be uncovered as the weeks continue. Most of
these families haven't even been able to go back to
see their home to go through what's happening. We're going
to be doing doing massive cleanup efforts with the families,
going in with them, doing ash cleanup, trying to do
our part and helping them figure out what's happened, what
(14:09):
can be saved, if anything, and then help them rebuild.
If that's what they want to do.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
I love that holding your hand along the way, because
this is not a short journey. This is one that's
going to take months and years. And Dream Center Ellie
is doing such great work. We're so happy that iHeart
Radio has been able to partner with you and continue
that partnership. Kelly Bradley, thank you so much. We appreciate you.
Thank you, appreciate what you're.
Speaker 7 (14:34):
Doing, and thank you to all the listeners and thank
you to iHeart all Right.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
Thank us, Kelly.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
Wow, it's amazing, Like you don't even think about that,
Like like Britty said, he said, they haven't even thought
about what to do next. Where are you going to live?
I mean, can you you can stay with friends for
a week? Can you stay with your friends for six months?
How long is it going to take to rebuild? How
long is it going to be before they can get
back in their neighborhood.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
Where are they going to get a toothbrush?
Speaker 2 (15:02):
I mean some of it is that the need is
that basic, and that's where you come in. So if
you can make a donation, load up your car, bring
it on down to Dream Center La again with Fork Report.
Speaker 3 (15:13):
We're here till five.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
They're taking donations until seven tonight, and then they're gonna
do a little reboot tomorrow. They've been going NonStop since
the fire started, and then they're going to reopen to
accept donations again and also to give out the donations
to the people who need it most. And that's going
to start up again on Monday noon to seven at
dream Center LA.
Speaker 3 (15:34):
Again.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
The address if you can come down this afternoon, we
would appreciate it so much, twenty three oh one Bellevue
in Los Angeles.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
It's in Echo Park and we hope you can help.
And for everybody who has already helped, Wow, it's humbling.
Good on you, Los Angeles.
Speaker 4 (15:51):
You're listening to the Fork Report with Nil Savedra on
demand from KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
We are live today at dream Center LA and Echo Park,
where here watching people drive in car after car after
car to drop off donations to help out the victims
of the Palisades and they eat in fires and on
the flip side, we're also seeing car after car after
car come in and accept those donations. It's amazing to
(16:20):
watch them come in. As I was telling you a
little bit earlier, they're lined up down the street outside
the parking lot. They come in talk to a volunteer.
The volunteer says, okay, we're gonna set you up. Pop
your trunk. What do you need, And then they go
through the different stations. At this one they're loading up water.
At this one, they've got diapers. At this one, they've
got food. At this one they've got paper towels. At
(16:40):
this one they've got toiletries. Because the need is great.
These are people affected by the fires that have decimated Alta,
Dina and Pacific Palisades and parts of them. Anyway, here
are the things that they are asking for now at
the Dream Center, if you can bring them, if you
can bring them by. Oh, there's the there's another pickup
(17:00):
loaded full. The back is loaded full with donations, and
we so so appreciate it. But here's what they're looking for.
Non perishable food items, bottled water, sports drinks for hydration,
hygiene products, things like toothpaste, toothbrushes, soaps, shampoos, feminine products,
and of course they got to take care of the
little babies. They got baby supplies, diapers, formula wipes, baby food,
(17:24):
air purifiers.
Speaker 3 (17:25):
And masks. I don't know if you guys are feeling it.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
They're saying the air quality is fine, but we know
that there's a lot of nastiness in that air, and
especially as people go back into if their home has
been damaged. Maybe their home wasn't burned down, but damage,
they're going to need those air purifiers and masks, flashlights, batteries,
portable phone chargers in case there are more power outages,
or for the people who had to leave everything behind
(17:50):
and they just don't have that anymore.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
First aid kits, medical supplies, pet food supplies.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
For those with animals, course, cleaning supplies because the cleanup
is going to be a long, long cleanup, so cleaning supplies, mops, buckets, disinfectants, gloves,
and then we just got this today. They need sunscreen
and chapstick and working gloves.
Speaker 3 (18:11):
Gonna need a lot of gloves.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
As you start going through what is left of the
homes or the homes that are still standing that we're damaged.
You can drop off the donations at the Dream Center.
We're here with Fork Report until five. Dream Center's taking
donations until seven o'clock this evening. They're gonna reboot tomorrow,
take a little break and kind of regroup, and then
all next week, Monday through Saturday, from noon to seven,
(18:34):
Dream Center LA is going to be taking donations.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
So if you can't get out here.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
Today, maybe go through your cupboards and say, I can
I can do without this, I can do without it.
Or maybe take a trip to the store and load
up your cart and then bring it down to Dream
Center LA when you get a chance again.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
The address is twenty three to one. And I was
thinking about.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
This because I'm saying a lot of the same things
as we go through this, but I'm saying them because
we need to hear them, we need to be reminded
of them, because this isn't going away. This is just
getting going. Like we we were just talking with Kelly
Bradley as the director of programs.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
Right now, this is.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
Just the initial, the very very start of what these
people need.
Speaker 3 (19:18):
They've lost everything, so.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
The donations that they're this is kind of like the
quick fix so they can get some food and supplies
and that kind of stuff. But the need is going
to go on for a long long time. And Dream
Center LA is helping people. They're providing housing, they're providing
services to help them, like say, here's what we need
to do next, because the recovery and the rebuilding is
what comes next.
Speaker 3 (19:41):
Right now, we're still in rescue and relief.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
There's lots of organizations restaurants that are also helping to
raise money, and I wanted to mention a couple of those,
and they're doing some really great things. So when you go,
when you frequent these businesses, it's going to go to
help the people of who've been affected by the fires.
So Friends and Family has a bakery in Silver Lake
and East Hollywood.
Speaker 3 (20:05):
I love this.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
They're going to be selling whole grain Brioche cinnamon rolls.
One hundred percent of the proceeds are going to the
people who've lost their homes and also to animal shelters
Big Fan attending to displaced pets through this Sunday at nine,
So you can either maybe go tomorrow morning and get one,
go and buy a cinnamon roll for a twenty five dollars,
(20:26):
donation for for fifty dollars, a dozen cinnamon rolls for
one hundred dollars, and that's a fifty one to fifty
Hollywood Boulevard. And again, one hundred percent of the proceeds
are going to go to the people who've been displaced
by the fires. Detroit Takaria in downtown Enriqui Old Vera
has a duck carnita that's to die for, and he's
(20:48):
created this duck carneita, and one hundred percent of the
proceeds for the carneitas are going to help communities affected
by the fires. Linden and Hollywood donating twenty percent of
their proceeds to the California Community Foundation on top of
a donation of twenty thousand dollars.
Speaker 3 (21:04):
Thank you Linden Hollywood.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
If you think about that, donating twenty percent of your
proceeds from January for a restaurant, they don't have huge margins,
and to donate twenty percent of what they bring in,
that's a lot. So every donation helps. So when you
frequent these businesses, they're all helping to help your neighbors,
your friends. The people in all Toa Dina Pasadena, Pacific
(21:27):
Palisades Baru Downtown is donating ten percent of all sales
through Sunday to World Central Kitchen and the National Day
Labor Organizing Network. And that's going on, and then we've
got more we're going to share with you because there's
a lot of restaurants who are doing things so you
can go out, grab a bite and help a really
(21:48):
good cause. And Angelino's God bless you. This is heartwarming
to see, especially in the face of how devastating these
fires were.
Speaker 3 (21:58):
We're going to come back.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
We're going to be talking King with the Dream Center,
LA's executive director of leadership Development.
Speaker 3 (22:06):
That's coming up.
Speaker 2 (22:06):
We're also going to We're going to talk about a
place that you can go to kind of escape from
all of the stress, maybe for first responders and people
who are out of their homes right now.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
It's in West LA. It's the Cat Cafe Lounge.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
And I think you're going to want to hear about it,
So that's coming up next.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
You've been listening to The Fork Report, you can always
hear us live on KFI AM six forty two to
five pm on Saturday and anytime on demand on the
iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
This is Amy King in for Neil Savedro is still
a little under the weather, so we're giving him the
day off to rest and recuperate. He needs to be,
you know, at one hundred percent strength when he takes
on Bill Handle on Monday morning. We're we're on location
this afternoon at Dream Center LA. You know why, because
(22:57):
we are taking donations and money to help the people
who had their lives absolutely turned upside down in the
Palisades and eaten fires. Not only the people who've lost
their homes completely, but the others who still can't get
back into their neighborhoods who had severe damage to their
home even though they're still standing. Like they're talking about
(23:18):
how I was listening to one interview and they said,
you know, my house is still standing, but we're gonna
have to throw out everything inside because it's also damaged
in the smoke. And when we were talking to Brady
last hour, he was talking about right before his house
burned down, he was trying to protect it. He went
inside and he said the smoke inside the house was worse.
(23:39):
So again he lost his house. But for the people
who didn't lose their homes, there's gonna be a lot
of rebuilding that needs to be done. So this is
an incredibly stressful time, as we know, and so we
wanted to lighten it up just a little bit. And
so here here is the thing that you can do.
(23:59):
We are doing a special out and about Yeah. I
do this feature on Wake Up Call every week we
go out and about to kind of fun places. So
this is a fun place, but they're actually doing something
for the first responders and the people who have been
affected in the fires. So we went to the Cat
Cafe Lounge in West la and caught up with Athena.
Staymos No, normally this is a place to come and
(24:21):
have a coffee and hang out and play with cats.
But during this time that is so stressful for so many,
it may be a bit of a break and a
safe haven. So Athena, what is Cat Cafe Lounge doing
to help people affected by the wildfires?
Speaker 1 (24:35):
Sure?
Speaker 8 (24:35):
Well, so we're a nonprofit cat cafe and unfortunately not
a shelter, so we're not able to you know, help
people house animals right now, and so we're like, what
can we do?
Speaker 5 (24:47):
Yep?
Speaker 8 (24:48):
And I think people really need a little calm right now,
and so we are offering free thirty or seventy minute
visits to anyone who was had to evacuate from the fires,
lost their homes first responders. They can go to the
website and use the code of per relief that's pure relief.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
To book their visit.
Speaker 8 (25:10):
And you know, cats are so calming and they really
bring you to the present moment. Yeah, and so we're
really hoping that being able to come here to a
safe space and just kind of get away from the
noise and the news, which can be so overwhelming.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
Just take a pause, take a pause, and you know,
sit with.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
These cats and be in the present moment.
Speaker 8 (25:35):
They're purrs, are very relaxing and spending time with cats,
you know, release the serotonin.
Speaker 3 (25:44):
And look at Thomas, he's so happy. You know, this
is so much. I think this is great because, like you.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
Said, this time is so stressful, so many people are affected.
And even if you just get to escape for a
little while, if you've been affected by the wildfires, check
out this kiddie.
Speaker 3 (25:58):
If you've been.
Speaker 9 (25:58):
Affected by the wildfire, you can come down and sit
and have a coffee and relax and play with kiddies,
and you just never know you might end up taking
one home.
Speaker 3 (26:10):
Because these cats are all up for adoption. They are
all up for adoption.
Speaker 8 (26:13):
We work this guy's a little feisty, Miss Thomas, He's
very feisty. So we work with a rescue partner, kitt
and Rescue La Okay, And so all the cats here
are rescues, either from the street shelters and they kit
and rescue helps us with the health of the colony,
so all adoptions are through them.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
So I want to take a look around a little bit. Yeah,
because you said that they're out. They're not in cages,
which is so great, so you kind of get to
see their personalities.
Speaker 3 (26:42):
How they would normally react.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
If you look around here, there are little climbing places.
There's a cat freeway along to the ceiling. And then
also if you come out here, what do we have
out here?
Speaker 8 (26:57):
So as we walk through the cafe, we have a
kitten lunes to our rights and then we have our CaTiO.
Speaker 1 (27:04):
Get it.
Speaker 8 (27:05):
And this did help us stay open during the pandemic.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
It was built during that so and it was such
a great idea that you said, let's just keep it open.
The cats really love it.
Speaker 8 (27:14):
You know a lot of times shire cats in shelter
environments just don't thrive, and you know, unfortunately that can
mean you being euthanized. Yeah, and so you know, this
really can help shire cats who kind of need to
realize that humans are safe and everything's okay.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
Is that still Thomas is still Thomas. He loves following
you around. I'm going to miss this guy, okay, and
he just got adopted.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
And since you guys opened in what eighteen eighteen, how
many cats have been adopted?
Speaker 8 (27:43):
Approximately one two hundred and thirteen something like that.
Speaker 3 (27:48):
I love that. I love that.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
And how many cats are here at any given time
thirty five plus Okay, So there's lots of room for
them to run. As you can see, they're running and
jumping and playing, which is just what cats to do.
And I if you're a cat liver, I mean like,
this is a little slice of heaven for me because
it's just so fun to see them just hanging out
Athena Again, tell us how people come and take advantage
(28:10):
of this, And if you're not a first responder or
somebody affected by the fires, you can still come down
and do this.
Speaker 8 (28:16):
Oh yeah absolutely, I mean you know, anyone can come
and get cat therapy. And we are a nonprofit. Any
donation for entry really helps us out. Word of mouth
is so important to us. People can volunteer if they like.
There's other ways to get involved.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
And what's the website to go if you want to
make a reservation.
Speaker 8 (28:35):
Sure, it's just a catcafe lounge dot com.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
Cat Cafe Lounge. If you need to get away chill
out for a little bit, you're a first responder or
affected by the fires, you get to do it free
for right now.
Speaker 3 (28:46):
And is that through to January? When is that?
Speaker 8 (28:48):
We're running that as long as possible. I mean, you know,
we definitely have had a chunk of people using so far,
but it's going to be just as long as we
can sustain that since we also need to stay away
and function perfect.
Speaker 10 (29:02):
And of course, even if you're not a first responder
or affected by the fires, what a fun way to
come and spend an afternoon at Cafe Lounge. Cafe Lounge
dot com is the address, and it is really it
was just kind of a fun respite and for first
responders and people who've just like I said, had their
worlds turned upside down, maybe you just need a little
(29:23):
escape and that might be a great place for you
to do it. When we come back, we're going to
be talking to another person who is at Dream Center LA.
It's the executive director of Leadership Development and find out
more about where the money is going and some other
programs that are helping people not only today as they
pick up these supplies, but tomorrow and next week and
(29:44):
next month, maybe even next year. We are live at
Dream Center LA twenty three oh one Bellevue in Los Angeles.
Speaker 3 (29:52):
We're right in Echo Park. We're here until five o'clock
with FOURK Report.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
They'll be accepting donations until seven o'clock.
Speaker 3 (29:59):
Would love to see you here.
Speaker 4 (30:01):
You're listening to The Fork Report with Nil Savedra on
demand from KFI A M six forty
The Fork Report w Neil Saavedra News
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