Pasadena Police, Local Nonprofits Team Up for Eaton Fire Donation Drive

Local nonprofits and Pasadena police volunteers gathered last weekend to sort and distribute donated food, clothing and school supplies to residents and families recovering from the Eaton wildfire disaster.

The donation drive, organized by the nonprofits New Shoes, Flintridge and Music Changing Lives, channeled supplies to area nonprofits and directly to Altadena individuals and families affected by the fire, according to a statement from the Pasadena Police Department. Members of the department’s Youth Explorers program joined community volunteers to unpack, sort and distribute the donated goods.

Music Changing Lives, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1998, has been active in Eaton Fire relief since the days immediately following the blaze. The organization’s CEO and founder, Josiah Bruny, was identified in the Pasadena Police Department statement as leading the effort. Bruny’s family has roots in the Altadena and Pasadena area dating to the 1970s, and his organization partnered with multiple groups in the fire’s aftermath to operate relief sites in Pasadena.

The Pasadena Police Department’s Explorer program, which serves young men and women ages 14 to 21, offers participants the chance to work alongside officers and department employees while learning about law enforcement careers. The program’s involvement in the weekend donation effort reflects what the department described as its continued commitment to community service beyond emergency response.

The Eaton Fire began on the evening of January 7, 2025, in Eaton Canyon and was driven into foothill communities by powerful Santa Ana winds. The blaze destroyed more than 9,400 structures, killed at least 19 people and displaced thousands of residents, according to Cal Fire, making it the second most destructive wildfire in California history.

Though the fire was fully contained by January 31, 2025, its effects continue to ripple through the community. Eight out of 10 Altadena residents had not returned home as of late 2025, according to community recovery reports. More than 150 local organizations have formed the Eaton Fire Collaborative to coordinate ongoing relief, and the Pasadena Community Foundation’s Eaton Fire Relief and Recovery Fund, together with the Altadena Builds Back Foundation, has distributed more than $24 million to more than 110 nonprofit partners.

Local nonprofits including Flintridge Center, Boys and Girls Club of Pasadena, Foothill Unity Center and My Tribe Rise have sustained distribution efforts, meal programs and case management services throughout the recovery period. The weekend drive organized by New Shoes, Flintridge and Music Changing Lives adds to that continuing network of grassroots relief.

For the volunteers who showed up — including Pasadena police officers and the young people in the Explorer program who helped move boxes and sort donations — the work carried a weight beyond logistics. Many first responders from the Pasadena Police and Fire departments witnessed the fire’s destruction firsthand, and the department noted that community service events like the weekend drive offer both resources and connection.

The boxes are unpacked now, the supplies handed off. But in Altadena, where rebuilding permits are still being processed and displaced families are still looking for stable housing, the need has not moved on.

The Pasadena Police Department’s Youth Explorer program meets the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month. Information is available at cityofpasadena.net/police or on Instagram at @pasadenapd.