Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Utahns are sending donations to wildfire victims in Los Angeles.
- Justin Sinclair organized an effort, utilizing his logistics experience and community support.
- Donations include water and masks, with a focus on urgent needs like clean water.
SALT LAKE CITY — As a former Southern Californian and volunteer firefighter, Justin Sinclair knows all about the power and danger of wildfires.
But even he has been shocked to see on the news, on social media and in the texts from family members living in the Los Angeles and San Diego areas the destruction the current fires in Pacific Palisades, Altadena and other areas have created.
Luckily, as a current resident of the Ogden area, he has the generosity of Utahns to boost his spirits.
"Utah, as a state, is the kind of place that just gives when people need help," Sinclair said, "There are a lot of people who just come together as a community and help. That's what has happened now. It makes me proud to say I'm now a Utahn."
As a freight officer for PK Logistics, Sinclair was accustomed to sending drivers and cargo all over the country, including in and out of Los Angeles.
On Friday, he was on social media and saw a message from a semitruck driver regarding the space he had in his truck to bring donations down to LA, if anyone was interested.
Sinclair put everything together and volunteered to organize efforts to get donations to LA. With his family explaining the level of need in LA County, plus someone willing to go drive there to deliver donations, and his talents navigating logistics, its something he couldn't pass up.
Utah, as a state, is the kind of place that just gives when people need help. ... That's what has happened now. It makes me proud to say I'm now a Utahn.
–Justin Sinclair, donation organizer
Sunday, a semi filled with water and masks, as well as a shorter "sprinter" van filled with clothes and other needs, left Salt Lake City and made its way to LA.
Landon Cheastham, a driver from Alex D. Delivery who drove the semi, had recently been making the drive to LA and was more than willing to do what needed to be done to help folks in LA County. As a Utahn, he knew he would not be alone in wanting to help.
"Service is a unique part to Utah. It's been awesome to see all that people have donated," he said, while still surviving on no sleep in more than 24 hours as a result of making the 11½-hour drive to LA. "There is so much more need than there is a need to sleep. I see it as: If I can get people what they need, it's what I need to do."
The goods were sent to the Salvation Army of Pasadena, a city not hit by the fires at the moment. Clothing donations were not accepted at the LA Regional Food Bank due to evidence that they were not new items — a requirement for such donations at this agency — but logistics worked to get the donations in the hands of someone who could get clothing to those in need.
That number is large. NBC News reports that more than 150,000 have been displaced from their homes as a result of housing destruction and evacuations. The greatest need at the moment is clean water, which Sinclair is hoping to collect and send to people in Southern California this week.
While preparing for all the work needed to let everyone know where donations can be left, he answered questions from his daughter, Addison, 17, who asked how wildfires of this extent can even happen.
He tried to explain as best he could but also focused on the needs of others and the importance of meeting those needs.
"This is going to be a massive global event. I'd imagine many people are going to leave California altogether," said Sinclair, who also has not had much sleep in the last five days. "Last Friday, when I saw Landon's post, I thought of what people needed and said, 'Let's go.'"
How you can help California fire victims:
If you are interested in donating canned goods, clothes, water, toys, diapers and other goods, please head to the LA Fire Donations Facebook page for information on where to leave donations. A semi is expected to head to LA during the middle of the week, as long as it is safe to do so.
If you are a grocer who wishes to donate pallets of water bottles, email Justin Sinclair at justin@shipwithpk.com. Sinclair said another semi is also expected to leave Salt Lake City on Jan. 17.
If you are interested in providing financial donations, visit Lifting Hands International at lhi.org/emergency-response. Call 801-310-2890 — the Utah office of Lifting Hands International —for regarding any humanitarian needs for LA County.
