California | As wildfires continue to burn across Los Angeles County destroying thousands of acres, Send Relief and California Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (CSBDR) have boots on the ground.

Gay and John Williams lead Disaster Relief for the Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention.
In mid-January Send Relief had a chaplain team serving at each of the area’s two Disaster Recovery Centers set up for organizations such as FEMA to aid survivors. According to Send Relief’s Keturah Quimby, “We have been given a table as emotional and spiritual care providers at these.” A feeding team is also providing meals at one of the centers.
In an email update to state disaster relief directors, Quimby stated Send Relief was in consultation with Hawaii Baptist Disaster Relief Directors John and Gay Williams, formerly of Granite City. The Williamses, who attended Grace Baptist Church, navigated disaster relief ministry following the Lahaina fire. That fire, on the Hawaiian island of Maui, killed at least 102 people in early August 2023.

Pete Ramirez, executive director of the California Baptist Convention, shares words of encouragement with CSBDR volunteers serving food at the FEMA site at UCLA. Photo by Robert Jordan.
“We are following the Lahaina fire timeline pretty closely as far as response goes,” wrote Quimby. “John and Gay have been very helpful by sharing their experiences with me.” The Illinois natives moved to Denver and were active in recovery after wildfires there. Then they moved to Hawaii after retirement.
CSBDR has deployed a mobile kitchen at a FEMA center at the UCLA Research Park and The Church on Pearl in Santa Monica is hosting the cooking team. They are preparing 300 meals a day for first responders and survivors. Send Relief and CSBDR volunteers have also been putting together and distributing crisis response buckets to support those impacted by the fires.

Volunteers at a mobile kitchen set up in the parking lot of Church on Pearl in Santa Monica, prepare food to take to the FEMA site at UCLA. Photo by Robert Jordan.
“We are thankful for our SBC family of churches and leaders who have responded to the needs that have arisen from the Los Angeles fires,” said CSBC executive director Pete Ramirez.
More SBDR volunteers from California and neighboring states are expected to be able to serve once first responders have contained the fires and deemed the area safe.
At this time, Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief is not expected to be needed to participate in the California callout.
—with reporting from Baptist Press