Park Cities Sends Support to Los Angeles Wildfire Victims

“It’s like a Chick-fil-A drive through,” Ellen Kershaw said of the traffic in the alley behind her house. “It’s non-stop.”

But these customers weren’t waiting to pick up an order. They were lining up to donate much-needed supplies to victims of California’s devastating wildfires. 

Kershaw and her sister Ann Higginbottom announced on Monday, Jan. 13, that the Kershaw family was collecting supplies to send to Los Angeles. By Friday, they had enough donations to fill a 53-foot semi-truck. 

A T-shirt printing company cleared out its warehouse of sweatshirts, shirts, and hoodies. One neighbor raised funds to purchase 150 Bibles. A high-end Dallas boutique contributed brand-new dresses. A children’s boutique donated 15 boxes of clothes still with their tags. And hundreds of friends, both new and old, sent Amazon packages, or drove up to give what they could.

“It has been a picture of what this community does for one another, which is rally,” Kershaw said. “They get the call, and everybody jumps on board.”

The afternoon of Jan. 17, so many volunteers flocked to the vacant home where Kershaw and Higginbottom were storing supplies that the gathering could have been mistaken for a block party. 

Each type of donation had its own location. Toilet paper was in the middle of the back yard, and strollers were stacked up next to the fence. Spots on the home’s garage wall were labeled “Games,” “Towels,” and “School Supplies.” 

Neighborhood moms, some who had been helping all week, meticulously organized the donations, with the goal of making it possible to immediately distribute them to families in need. Children put tiny Jesus figurines in every box.

“I hope that they feel loved and know that they’re not alone,” said Katie Zeller, who was sorting clothing by size. “They’ve lost so much, and I just hope that they know that there’s people supporting them.”

Hyer Elementary fourth-grader Ashley Hunt helped carry boxes nearby. “I felt so bad for them after the fire,” she said. “So, I thought it would just be good to help.”

Kershaw said she expected the supplies, which were loaded onto the truck on Jan. 18, to reach Los Angeles on Tuesday, Jan. 21. Once the donations arrived, they would be distributed to fire victims through long-time partners of Kershaw’s Challenge, the nonprofit founded in 2011 by Ellen and Clayton Kershaw, a Major League Baseball pitcher who plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

The Kershaws call Los Angeles home during the baseball season, and plan to fly to LA soon to support their immediate relief efforts. Kershaw’s Challenge will also continue to look for more ways to assist in the rebuilding process. But for now, Higginbottom and Kershaw said they were overwhelmed by the heart of a community that came together for a larger goal.

“This is our way of being able to love them from afar,” Kershaw said. “Texas is sending our support, and our love, to Los Angeles.”

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