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Americans began leaving their homes and businesses this week fires in California raged and decimated entire communities in five counties.
Firefighters, police and civilians are working together to contain the fire, while local shelters and organizations deploy food and necessities and offers a roof to those seeking refuge as thousands lose their homes.
“It’s like a ghost town in a lot of these communities,” Matthew Barnett, founder of the LA Dream Center, told Fox News Digital in an on-camera interview. (Watch the video at the top of this article.)
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“We’re just trying to provide all kinds of solutions. Financial is obviously important because of housing,” he said.
The LA Dream Center is the go-to center for Californians seeking shelter and those in need of recovery assistance and food. The organization is a cornerstone of free programs for communities around the world.
Cars are left burned at a dealership after a fire at Eaton’s on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Altadena, California. (Jae C. Hong/AP)
“You’re taking on 20% more growth in your campus overnight. That’s a lot in a city like Los Angeles,” he said. “It’s so expensive to include overhead and everything.”
Thirty years ago, Barnett planned to serve as pastor a few months before he quickly fell in love with Los Angeles and decided to stay indefinitely to open the Dream Center.
“We thought that in a city like Los Angeles that’s known as a 24-hour city, why not have a place that’s in the heart of Los Angeles that really picks up the broken pieces of dreams and those who are hurting and struggling,” Barnett said.
Located on US Route 101, the Dream Center opened in 1996 after the building was purchased from catholic church for 3.9 million dollars.
“They could have sold it for $16 million to Paramount Studios,” Barnett said.
Flames from the Palisades fire burn a building on Sunset Boulevard amid a powerful storm on Jan. 8, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. Fueled by strong Santa Ana winds, the Palisades Fire has grown to more than 15,000 acres and 30,000 people have been ordered to evacuate as a second large fire burns near Eaton Canyon in Altadena. (Apu Gomes/Getty Images)
The 15-story building was the filming location for eight years. Now there are 700 inhabitants, incl homeless veteransdaily emancipated minors and families, among others.
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“It’s open 24 hours a day for anyone in need,” Barnett said.
Today, the Dream Center serves private rooms, food, supplies and other necessities for local residents California residents who need help as firefighters struggle to contain the flames.
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows the Eaton Fire on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Altadena, California. (Maxar Technologies via AP)
Australian chef Wolfgang Puck dropped off 2,000 meals on Friday afternoon.
“He’s like, ‘When are you going to serve them?’ and I said, ‘How about that right now?'” Barnett said.
“This is COVID times 10,” Barnett said of the relief effort.
“And so, we just threw them at the front line.” (See the video below.)
Barnett added that the generous food donation will only last for two hours before it is used up.
“Then somebody else will come forward and we’ll put them on the front line and a new restaurant will come up,” Barnett said.
“It’s just miracle after miracle. A miracle is when you need it, it always seems to appear. When you worry about hurting people, God has a way of just providing all these amazing outlets that happen. That’s how it happens.”
A view of smoke blanketing the sky from the Eaton wildfire in Altadena, Los Angeles County, California, January 9, 2025. The fast-moving wildfire has forced 30,000 people to evacuate, and officials warn that worsening winds could further escalate the blaze. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
In the midst of a dangerous wildfire situation, the Dream Center and its 250 daily volunteers are loading trucks with supplies to take to affected areas and manning food lines 10 hours a day.
“This is COVID times 10,” Barnett said of the relief effort.
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“I’m not in my house,” Barnett said. “Right now I’m away from my home and I’m staying in my office. So I’m really an exile – I’m helping other displaced people.”
“Here we are, like we don’t know the future of our own home that’s only a few blocks away from the fire, and yet we’re serving our own pain,” Barnett said of his family, including the dogs.
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“Serving from our own struggle.”
Celebrities including Snoop Dogg, Florence Pugh, Billie Eilish, Jojo Siwa and King Bach are among others who have supported the Dream Center; they shared the posts on social media, attracting even more attention and volunteerism.
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“These are people we’ve never met, but they’re looking for ways to do good,” Barnett said.
The Dream Center collects donations of food and non-perishables, baby supplies, clothing, water and financial donations online and in person.
