For the past six years, Robb Smith has been building his independent food delivery service, Alley Cat Delivery, in a locally driven, keep-it-Long-Beach effort to ensure small businesses aren’t gouged by corporate competition. This week, however, Robb saw an entirely new purpose for his drive-everywhere-all-the-time life: Help those in the historic fires torching Los Angeles County.
“I had a truck, and I had access,” Robb said. “I knew I had to do something… And my first instinct on Wednesday was: ‘I need to help evacuate people.’ Yes, people should always support larger efforts like those of the Red Cross. But for me, I wanted to help those who needed it immediately. That was my mission: I offered free evactuations, and I have a truck, so let’s go. From there, it has evolved almost hourly as needs shift.”
From evacuations to fire extinguishers, Alley Cat Delivery became a deliverer of different sorts.
Robb’s first evacuation was a family in Altadena who needed to get an hour away to refuge at an aunt’s house. With messages sent out on his social media and pictures of the destruction and rescue efforts, calls started pouring in: “We need to pull this trailer, man.” Robb got there. “We need this.” Robb got there. “We need that.” Robb was there.
As immediate evacuations became less of a priority and more focus was on supplies and, for some, protecting or salvaging whatever they could, Robb noticed one glaring thing: Water pressure was down in nearly every neighborhood near or within fires. That meant those trying to push embers drawing near away or salvaging what they could had little resources to defend their memories upon returning to a burnt home.
“Everyone is donating water—and that is cool, no question,” Robb said. “I saw people using those water bottles to try to damp out embers. And then, when I saw an older gentleman in Altadena doing the same, I jumped out and asked him where his hose was. Then, I learned no one had any water pressure; the hoses were useless. People needed fire extinguishers to protect what little they had, if anything.”
With community helping community, Robb scores some fire extinguishers after helping evacuate fire victims.
With $2,500 in his pocket that he could use, he purchased some 350 extinguishers thanks to the help of VA nurse Christine Warner and Confidential Coffee owner Denise Maldonado, who opened up her DTLB space to give Robb a place to start collecting supplies. Between Long Beach and the fires, Robb has filled his truck with gas seven times across the past three days.
First up: Delivering to homeowners, where he was met with thankfulness and tears. Some were protecting their homes. Others were arriving at debris and destruction, hoping to find an heirloom or something salvageable. Either way, for Robb, they at least had some way of safely attempting to get them in their hands once more.
Today marks a new day for Alley Cat Delivery—and its owner wants a gentle reminder of every city’s needs.
“For those that want to help, I am not looking for clothing—I’m not here trying to clear out your closet,” Robb said. “When I say I am focusing on ‘mostly other avenues,’ I am largely referring to fire extinguishers.”
Today, he will embark toward the Palisades as the fire burns at 20,000 acres with 6% containment. And yes, Alley Cat Delivery will continue to offer 20% of its sales back to those who need it across Los Angeles County.
“We need to serve every community right now from Long Beach to the greater Los Angeles,” Robb said, noting that people who are finding their donations either not being accepted or don’t know where to give have plenty of local options, from the Long Beach Rescue Mission to Food Finders. “To me that’s community… Wherever the need is, I will go and serve—and I hope Long Beach will do the same.”
And yes, Robb needs more supplies, including fire extinguishers and money.
To donate to Robb, you can contact him either directly or Zelle him at: 310-529-4839.
City and County officials: The best way to donate? Give money to the organizations directly related to relief efforts.
In a conversation with Mayor Rex Richard, while attempting to alleviate Chris’s situation, he pointed out some essential things that everyone should know. The biggest? Donation efforts are admirable, if not outright valiant—but they can also cause disruption or confusion as they require a place to go and a workforce to be distributed. And the best way to alleviate those obstacles is through direct donations to the organizations officially involved in relief efforts.
Formal organizations include:
- California Fire Foundation (to donate click here)
- Los Angeles Regional Food Bank (to donate, click here)
- American Red Cross (to donate, click here)
- The Salvation Army (to donate, click here)
However, those aren’t the only entities—there’s GoFundMe, which has collected various fundraisers regarding the fires into one space—and other fire organizations—like the Widows, Orphans & Disabled Firefighters Fund.
My personal favorite? I continually encourage both my food group and readers to donate to the World Central Kitchen, which many restaurants are officially sanctioned by (including Lola’s and The Ordinarie).
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