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34 OUR LIFE • May-June 2025 After Disastrous LA Fires, Branch 111 Helps Community Cope The unusually warm night of January 7, 2025 — Ukrainian Rizdvo — seemed unremarka - ble at first, yet it proved to be a catastrophic one for Los An - geles and its surroundings. Two massive fires ignited almost si - multaneously in Altadena and Pacific Palisades, forever chang - ing the lives of many. In a short time, the flames consumed businesses, beautiful homes, and apartments — along with the daily lives, dreams, hopes, and possessions of the resi - dents of these Greater Los An - geles neighborhoods. One of the UNWLA’s key missions is to support those in need. The members of Branch 111 immediately checked in to ensure everyone was safe, es - pecially as some of our elderly members were awaiting evac - uation or had already left the danger zone. Soon after, we came together to determine where help was needed most. Branch 111 raised $550, and soon financial aid arrived from the UNWLA ($10,000), as well as additional support from our sisters in Branch 107 ($1,050) and a personal donation from Soyuzianka Nora Mason ($550). Among the direct victims was our branch’s former president, Valentyna Levytsky , Branch 111, Los Angeles, CA Anna Maistrenko, who had re - cently relocated closer to the ocean and was living in Pacific Palisades at the time of the fire; she had just a few moments to decide what to take with her from the home she would never return to. Anna speaks with re - gret about losing her collection of Ukrainian clothing, includ - ing century-old embroidered blouses passed down from her grandmother. “I saved them from war, only for them to burn in the fire,” she says with a bit - tersweet smile, still in shock. In total, over 1,000 homes were destroyed, and more than 70,000 people were evacuat - ed — families with children and their beloved pets among them. After carefully considering all cir - cumstances in our efforts to assist the fire victims, we allocated the funds to individual fire victims; to our courageous firefighters; to several outstanding organizations that immediately joined the relief efforts and are well-known for their continued support of war victims in Ukraine; to the Ukrain - ian Food Truck and Habitat for Humanity; and to animal shelters that bore the brunt of this disas - ter. Our branch also established a special relief fund, ready to assist those in greatest need. 111-й Відділ допомагає громаді впоратися з наслідками катастрофічних пожеж у Лос-Анджелесі Валентина Левицька , 111 Відділ, Лос-Анджелес Olena Symakovski’s mom cooking borshcht. Мама Олени Сімаковської готує борщ. Providing food for fire victims at Santa Anita Park. Парк Santa Anita: постачання їжі постраждалим від пожежі. Незвично тепла ніч проти 7 січня 2025 р. не обіцяла нічо - го надзвичайного, проте стала для Лос-Анджелеса та довкіл - ля фатальною. Дві потужні по - жежі, що спалахнули майже одночасно в Altadena та Pacific Palisades, змінили життя бага - тьох людей назавжди. За ко - роткий час вогонь спопелив приміщення для бізнесів, чу - дові будинки й апартаменти, а заодно — повсякденне життя, мрії, сподівання та майно ре - зидентів цих районів Великого Лос-Анджелесу. Одна з найголовніших мі - сій СУА — опіка над тими, хто має потреби. Членкині 111-го Відділу негайно влаштували перекличку, аби з’ясувати, чи всі в безпеці (адже серед нас є літні люди, а дехто очікував евакуації або вже покидав The Ukrainian Food Truck. Українська вантажівка з їжею.
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