by Andrew Alonzo | aalonzo@claremont-courier.com

In the early morning hours Friday, Celeste Sierra, Marlena De La Rosa and Marcela Herrera put their heads together and swiftly organized a donation drive for residents affected by the fires raging the Los Angeles region.

“I think we couldn’t just sit there and do nothing,” Herrera said, “and our hearts were very, very heavy so we felt very called to make an impact. We know a lot of people that know people that have been affected by it, and that’s what called us. We couldn’t just sit back and not do anything.”

The drive was held Friday and Saturday near Unleashed by Petco, 915, W. Foothill Blvd., Claremont.

Among the items donated were water, snacks and nonperishables, blankets, pet food, hygiene and personal care items, first aid kits, baby care products, gift cards, backpacks, batteries, flashlights, toiletries, socks, underwear, and adult diapers. The donated items were taken to an American Red Cross center overseeing aid efforts.

The desire to help led to hundreds of people showing up to donate Friday according to the trio, including one restaurant owner who brought 10 Target gift cards worth $100 each for families in need. The group said many donors were happy to have a local access point to provide aid.

“That’s what we’ve been noticing as well: people needed a place to go, and they had no place local,” De La Rosa said. “They were getting turned away from other places. Pasadena was a little bit far for them, so here we are centralized for this community.”

(L-R) Alejandro Lopez, 6, Leonel Lopez, 8, and their mother Nancy Lopez drop off supplies at a Claremont donation drive for fire victims on Friday. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo

Rancho Cucamonga resident Adriana Rocha was helping Miriah Lopez and Misty Lopez drop off a mix of supplies Friday afternoon. The Lopez’s said they were evacuated from their Hollywood home and taken in by Rocha. They loaded up a truck with feminine products, coconut water, protein powder, tissues and more, and dropped it off Friday afternoon.

“We had an amount that we wanted to donate, and then just posted about it, and people have been donating so we can buy more stuff for those in need,” said Misty Lopez. “You know, we’re very blessed that our house wasn’t touched; however, we still can’t go home because of the air quality, so we are staying with my dad and stepmom and just trying to give back where we can. We grew up volunteering … so we’re just doing what we know how to do during times like this.”

Damesha Frazer donated some children’s items on Saturday.

“We’re originally from Monrovia, so we know some people in the Altadena, Pasadena area,” she said. “Just knowing that people lost their homes … It moved through really quickly … I just felt really heartbroken over that. The opportunity to give back a little bit and just help people have some, a little bit of normalcy with some small items and just feeling comfortable, I think is the reason why I donated. Just trying to do a small part. It’s part of our community. It’s not far from us and I think those people would do the same if we were in that situation.”

At noon Saturday, the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades had burned 22,660-acres with 11% containment, and the Eaton Fire in Altadena 14,117 acres with 15% containment, according to info at Cal Fire.