A Pasadena + Altadena Reflection on the Eaton Fire, Recovery, and the Love That Held Us Up

Some years feel like a long season.

2025 was a whole era.

It began with the kind of loss that rearranges a community’s identity overnight. The Eaton Fire didn’t just burn structures. It scorched routines, traditions, family histories, small businesses, and the quiet sense of safety people didn’t realize they depended on. Altadena, a place with deep generational roots and a historic Black community presence, took a devastating hit that will be studied and felt for a long time. The Guardian

And Pasadena felt it too. Because the truth is, the line between Pasadena and Altadena is not a wall. It’s a shared heartbeat. We are one DENA.

When the fire happened, thousands of families became displaced, and the aftershocks didn’t stop when the flames did. The months that followed were filled with paperwork, exhaustion, anxiety, rebuilding delays, insurance frustration, grief, and a kind of quiet survival that doesn’t photograph well.

But something else happened too.

DENA showed the world what community looks like when it’s tested.

We didn’t just mourn.We mobilized.We didn’t just wait for help. We became help.

MADE IN DENA in the Middle of It All

MADE IN DENA is located at 2061 N. Los Robles Ave., Suite #204, Pasadena, CA 91104, right on the Pasadena–Altadena border near Woodbury and Los Robles. This is not a traditional retail store, but we do allow order pickups and we host workshops and community events here.

We were not burned by the fire, but we were absolutely impacted by it.

We had to evacuate. We lost inventory due to smoke and odor. We watched sales drop immediately because a large part of our community lost homes, stability, and disposable income overnight. And we carried the emotional stress that comes with watching the people you create for enter survival mode.

In those first days, we didn’t lead with sales. We led with service. We volunteered at a DENA relief resource distribution center and donated thousands of dollars worth of new inventory, along with personal clothing.

Because that’s what DENA does when it hurts. We show up.

And then, slowly, the community started to breathe again. People began to gather again. Artists began to create again. Families began to look for moments of normal again.

And by the end of the year, something powerful became undeniable:

Community pride rose. Support for local deepened. People began choosing DENA on purpose.

That shift didn’t just help us survive.It made 2025 a record year for MADE IN DENA, and that success created opportunities for others, including people displaced by the fire.

This wasn’t luck. This was DENA.

Heroes and Organizations Who Helped Carry DENA

What follows is not a complete list of everyone who helped. It can’t be. Too many people stepped up quietly and never asked for credit. But these names and organizations represent a truth we all witnessed in 2025:

Recovery is built by people who refuse to let their neighbors fall through the cracks.

Brandon Lamar

In a year where DENA needed both action and advocacy, Brandon Lamar stood in that gap.

Brandon Lamar, President of the NAACP Pasadena Branch, emerged as a tireless advocate and organizer for fire survivors in the wake of the Eaton Fire. He co-led the massive DENA Relief Drive effort that became a lifeline for displaced families in Altadena and Pasadena.

Under Lamar’s on-the-ground leadership, this grassroots drive mobilized more than 1,800 volunteers and partnered with over 75 businesses and organizations, distributing more than 400,000 pounds of essential supplies and serving over 15,000 hot meals to those in need. Lamar was often seen unloading trucks, handing out food, and coordinating logistics.

“No one should go hungry or lack basics on our watch,” he insisted, turning compassionate words into direct action.

Brandon’s commitment extended beyond immediate relief. He used his platform to advocate for equitable recovery policies, including an urgent call for Pasadena to waive rebuilding permit fees so survivors would not be penalized for rebuilding their lives. He also helped organize free legal aid workshops for residents facing insurance disputes and tenant challenges, emphasizing that recovery is about restoring dignity and stability.

As co-chair and treasurer of the Eaton Fire Collaborative’s Long-Term Recovery Group, Lamar became a key architect of the rebuilding process. He helped launch the Collaboratory warehouse, a centralized recovery space filled with donated supplies and services, and consistently reinforced a core belief: if even one person who wants to rebuild cannot, then the community has failed.

Through advocacy, logistics, and coalition building, Brandon Lamar became a steady force of fairness and hope throughout DENA’s recovery.

Michelle White

Michelle White’s impact in 2025 carried a specific kind of power: survivor-centered, neighbor-focused, relentless.

Michelle White, an Altadena native and founder of the nonprofit Neighborhood Survants, became a guiding light for the community during the darkest days of the fire and its aftermath.

Immediately following the blaze, White joined forces with Brandon Lamar to help launch the DENA Relief Drive, transforming a small volunteer response into a vast relief network delivering food, clothing, shelter, and resources to thousands of survivors.

“Our mission is bigger than just emergency relief,” White shared. “We’re here to help rebuild lives, restore hope, and make sure our community knows they’re not alone.”

Her work ensured that relief efforts addressed not only basic needs but also youth and family stability, providing laptops for students, shoes for children, and essential supplies for families living in hotels, cars, or temporary housing. White became known for her deeply personal approach—listening to survivor stories, advocating for those underinsured or uninsured, and ensuring no one was overlooked.

As recovery transitioned into long-term rebuilding, White spearheaded the creation of the Eaton Fire Collaboratory in Altadena. This one-stop recovery hub brought dozens of organizations under one roof, offering housing navigation, insurance guidance, mental health counseling, and essential household goods.

White emphasized that recovery must be community-led, drawing on her prior experience serving unsheltered neighbors and managing food security initiatives. Whether organizing healing circle yoga sessions, coordinating translators for displaced seniors, or sounding the alarm about the risk of mass displacement, Michelle White fought relentlessly to give survivors the resources and reasons to stay, rebuild, and belong.

Altadena Rising

Formed in the immediate aftermath of the fire, Altadena Rising became a unifying voice and information hub that kept the community connected, informed, and empowered throughout recovery.

Built by organizers rooted in DENA, Altadena Rising used social media, email, and community forums to deliver daily updates, resource guides, and messages of hope. At a time when official information was often fragmented or delayed, the platform helped bridge critical gaps by sharing where to find meals, cleanup help, relief events, and support services.

The organization firmly believed that collaboration builds community power. Through initiatives like “All for Altadena,” Altadena Rising spotlighted daily heroes, local businesses, and grassroots efforts, ensuring good work did not go unseen and help reached those who needed it most.

Altadena Rising also helped produce and promote community gatherings that fostered healing and transparency, including information days, town halls, and live discussions where residents could ask questions and stay informed about complex recovery processes.

Perhaps most importantly, Altadena Rising helped preserve morale. Its consistent message—Altadena will rise again—served as an emotional anchor during a year defined by displacement and uncertainty. By amplifying local voices and encouraging residents to hold onto their homes and community roots, Altadena Rising fed DENA with something as vital as food or shelter: belief.

Neighborhood Survants

Neighborhood Survants embodied the truth that recovery isn’t only about supplies. It’s about staying with people after the headlines leave.

Neighborhood Survants proved to be the backbone of Altadena’s relief infrastructure, living up to its name by serving survivors directly in their neighborhoods.

Before the fire, the organization focused on homeless outreach and food security. After the Eaton Fire, it rapidly expanded to address the full scope of survivor needs. Volunteers delivered essentials like clothing, diapers, and mattresses to families living in hotels and parking lots and staffed emergency distribution sites across Altadena and Pasadena.

Neighborhood Survants became an advocate for seniors, non-English speakers, renters, and residents struggling to access formal aid. They helped survivors replace documents, avoid predatory contractors, and navigate relief systems that often felt overwhelming.

Their most significant contribution was spearheading the Eaton Fire Collaboratory, a multi-agency recovery center that opened in October 2025. This hub centralized services ranging from housing and mental health to construction guidance, childcare, and case management.

By creating a space where survivors could access help without being shuffled between agencies, Neighborhood Survants embodied a survivor-first approach. Through continued outreach, cleanups, school supply giveaways, and holiday meal distributions, the organization ensured that survivor-led recovery was not just an idea but a lived reality.

Project Passion Inc.

Project Passion brought organized love to a moment that could have easily turned into disorganized desperation.

Project Passion Inc. entered 2025 with a mission rooted in unity, collaboration, and uplifting community voices. After the Eaton Fire, that mission became action.

The organization quickly mobilized as a key force behind the DENA Relief Drive, helping transform churches and community centers into large-scale distribution hubs. Volunteers delivered groceries, clothing, bedding, and supplies while also assisting with debris cleanup and deliveries for seniors and homebound residents.

As part of the broader relief coalition, Project Passion helped place hundreds of families into short-term housing, distribute emergency gift cards, and sustain weekly relief events throughout the year. Survivors consistently described Project Passion’s relief sites as places of dignity, warmth, and human connection.

Importantly, Project Passion continued support long after the initial crisis. Through programs like the Freedom Shop, free moving assistance, and curated recovery resource guides, the organization remained present for families navigating long-term displacement.

By partnering with other nonprofits, faith groups, and local brands, Project Passion demonstrated how sustained, values-driven collaboration can turn emergency response into lasting recovery.

Krystal Lopez and Juicy Little

Krystal Lopez represents one of the most powerful stories in a year full of them: choosing to keep serving even while personally carrying loss.

Krystal “Miss Juicy Little” Lopez became one of the most incredible symbols of resilience in Altadena’s recovery.

A single mother and former foster youth, Krystal founded Juicy Little to support at-risk girls and families. When the Eaton Fire destroyed Juicy Little’s Altadena clubhouse, she chose action over despair.

She organized weekly community food pop-ups known as “We Out Here Altadena” providing groceries, fresh produce, hygiene products, and diapers in an environment that felt more like a block party than a relief line. Music, conversation, and care restored a sense of normalcy for families navigating crisis.

Juicy Little also partnered with larger food relief efforts to host multiple mobile food pantries, serving thousands of families with culturally relevant meals. Even while fundraising to rebuild her own organization, Krystal awarded scholarships to fire-impacted students and organized holiday toy drives for families who lost everything.

Her philosophy—creating the support she once wished she had—expanded from youth advocacy to full community nourishment. Through generosity, consistency, and love, Krystal Lopez reminded DENA that even after devastation, abundance can still be created.

Chris Lindley and Build Back Dena

Build Back Dena was a turning point for many local businesses, including MADE IN DENA, because it didn’t just offer motivation. It offered structure.

Chris Lindley understood early that rebuilding DENA meant restoring its small businesses.

As director of Build Back Dena, he helped launch a community-driven business resilience initiative designed to support entrepreneurs impacted by the Eaton Fire. His vision focused not only on economic recovery but on restoring agency, relationships, and confidence among local business owners.

Build Back Dena provided one-on-one coaching, mentorship, and workshops covering marketing, financial planning, insurance navigation, and stress management. The initiative also created peer networks where business owners could share challenges and solutions, reminding them they were not rebuilding alone.

Lindley coordinated closely with accelerators, chambers of commerce, city leaders, and grassroots organizations to pool resources. Events like Business Recovery Night created safe spaces for owners to reconnect, learn, and access technical assistance.

Build Back Dena also forged partnerships that helped businesses secure grants, loans, and temporary locations. For MADE IN DENA, the initiative was especially impactful, connecting the brand with new customers, custom apparel clients, and valuable vending opportunities while reinforcing the importance of mutual support.

By late 2025, hundreds of businesses and thousands of jobs had been stabilized through Build Back Dena’s efforts, proving that rebuilding storefronts is inseparable from rebuilding community identity.

Altadena Collective

Altadena Collective represents a different kind of heroism: the long-game builders.

Their work speaks to homeowners and residents who want to rebuild wisely, beautifully, and with respect for Altadena’s character. In a post-disaster environment where confusion is constant and predatory behavior can spike, efforts like this help people rebuild with clarity and community.

The Altadena Collective formed around a powerful question: how do we rebuild without losing what makes Altadena special?

Created by architects, designers, and residents—many of whom lost their own homes—the Collective focused on providing homeowners with information, vetted resources, and collective rebuilding strategies.

They organized workshops on permitting, fire-safe design, debris removal, and scam prevention, and introduced group contracting models that allowed neighbors to rebuild together more affordably and efficiently.

One of their most impactful initiatives was the Janes Cottage model home program, which offered updated, fire-resilient designs that preserved the historic charm of West Altadena’s beloved cottages. These pre-approved plans saved homeowners time, money, and stress while honoring neighborhood identity.

The Collective also opened a Pasadena-based Rebuilding Center where residents could receive hands-on guidance, review materials, and explore cooperative rebuilding options. By emphasizing solidarity, transparency, and design integrity, Altadena Collective helped ensure that reconstruction honored both the past and the future of Altadena.

The Events That Brought Us Back Together

In 2025, gathering wasn’t a luxury or a distraction. It was recovery.

After months of displacement, paperwork, uncertainty, and quiet exhaustion, the simple act of being together took on new meaning. Community events became places where people could finally exhale, reconnect, and remember that DENA still existed beyond loss.

These gatherings didn’t erase grief. They carried it—collectively.

Winter Bloom

Winter Bloom marked a turning point for Altadena.

As the first major community gathering since the Eaton Fire, it wasn’t just a market or a weekend event. It was an emotional declaration that Altadena was still here, still creating, still welcoming people back into shared space.

For families who had been displaced, Winter Bloom offered a place to breathe without explanation. For artists and vendors, it offered a chance to earn again, to feel useful, and to be seen not as victims, but as creators. For neighbors, it became a long-overdue reunion.

Music floated through the campus. Children painted and played. Conversations unfolded between people who hadn’t seen each other since before the fire. The energy wasn’t loud—it was intentional.

For MADE IN DENA, Winter Bloom became the highest one-day sales record we’ve ever experienced as a vendor. But the real significance had nothing to do with numbers. The true measure of that weekend was the way people showed up—thoughtfully, purposefully, with a renewed commitment to supporting one another.

Winter Bloom didn’t just generate commerce. It restored confidence.

Rhythms of the Village

The Rhythms of the Village festivals reminded DENA of something essential: healing doesn’t always come through words.

Rooted in music, movement, and cultural education, these gatherings reintroduced rhythm as a form of medicine. Drums, dance, and shared sound allowed people to release emotions that had been sitting quietly for months. Elders watched youth move freely. Families gathered without agendas. Joy returned without apology.

In a year defined by stress and uncertainty, Rhythms of the Village created space for nervous systems to settle and for generations to reconnect. It reinforced a powerful truth—culture is not a bonus during recovery. It is a foundation.

Christmas Tree Lane Lighting Ceremony

The Christmas Tree Lane Lighting Ceremony carried a weight in 2025 that few could have anticipated.

Standing beneath the towering deodar trees, watching thousands of lights illuminate all at once, felt less like a seasonal tradition and more like a collective moment of survival. People counted down together. Some smiled. Some cried. Many did both.

This wasn’t just holiday cheer. It was proof that continuity still existed. That traditions could survive disruption. That even after devastating loss, DENA still knew how to gather, how to wait together, and how to feel wonder in unison.

For many, it was the first time all year that hope felt visible.

Pop-Ups and the Rise of Micro-Community Commerce

Throughout 2025, pop-ups and micro-community commerce became essential to DENA’s recovery.

Spaces like NextWave Barber Studios in Altadena evolved into more than businesses. They became community hubs—places where people could get a haircut, shop local, talk about rebuilding, and feel normal again, even briefly.

These pop-ups lowered barriers. They made local commerce accessible. They allowed displaced residents to reconnect with neighborhood culture without committing to large events or formal spaces.

More importantly, they reminded everyone that supporting local didn’t have to be complicated. It could happen in real time, face-to-face, with intention.

The Hard Truth About Local Business

Not every local business is coming back. That truth deserves space.

Some businesses didn’t have the reserves to survive prolonged disruption. Some owners were displaced and never returned. Some buildings were too damaged. Some people simply ran out of strength.

Those losses matter deeply, because local businesses are not just economic units. They are meeting places, memory holders, and pieces of a community’s identity. When they disappear, something personal disappears with them.

At the same time, 2025 sparked a new awareness across DENA:

If we don’t support local, we lose local.

That realization changed how people moved through their city. Convenience lost some of its power. Intentionality gained ground. People began asking where their dollars were going and who those dollars were helping.

That shift helped MADE IN DENA experience record growth—not because the year was easy, but because community pride became louder than habit.

What 2025 Revealed About DENA

By the end of 2025, there was no need for slogans or lessons spelled out in neat lines. The year spoke for itself.

Resilience showed up quietly, in ways that didn’t photograph well. It showed up in volunteers unloading trucks long after adrenaline wore off, in families giving what they could while unsure of what they’d have tomorrow, and in people choosing to be present in community spaces even when grief was still sitting heavy in their chest. It showed up in the decision to keep supporting local businesses, not out of trend or obligation, but because people understood what was at stake if they didn’t.

Recovery, for DENA, was never a straight line. It required patience that was tested daily and a kind of love that didn’t come with guarantees. Growth didn’t arrive because circumstances improved quickly. It came because people stayed connected long enough for something stronger to form.

The rebuilding is not finished. Some residents are still displaced. Some are still navigating insurance and permits. Some losses remain too fresh to speak about publicly. That reality hasn’t changed.

What did change is the way Pasadena and Altadena moved through it together.

The fire did not fracture the community. If anything, it stripped away distance. People became more intentional with their time, their money, and their energy. They paid closer attention to what made DENA feel like home and became more protective of it.

By the close of the year, there was a shared understanding that this place is not defined by a single disaster, but by the way its people respond when everything is tested. DENA didn’t emerge untouched. It emerged more aware, more connected, and more committed to choosing one another moving forward.

That was 2025.