Carpinteria-Summerland Firefighters and the L.A. Fire Donation Efforts
The Santa Barbara South Coast Firefighter Foundation – in conjunction with the Carpinteria-Summerland Firefighters and the Carpinteria Firefighters Local 3368 – set up a donation drop-off at the house next to the Carpinteria fire station on Walnut Street. Heading the drive from the SBSCFF is its founder Gail Kvistad of “Living Local,” who has served as board member of Santa Barbara City College Foundation, Youth Interactive Media for Good, is a Save the Mermaids founding member, and has been a committee member of Partners in Education, Dream Foundation, SB School of Squash, Audubon Society, and One805 Foundation.
On Sunday, January 19, I met Kvistad and the SBSCFF President, Carpinteria-Summerland Firefighter Brian Lombardi, at the drop-off center where they had boxed the donations to be picked up at 1 pm that day. We talked briefly about how the drive and the foundation started.
Kvistad, “We started our organizations when two firefighters reached out to me saying we need an organization that is helping our community specifically. We need funding for a new firefighter training center and needs for the Santa Barbara South County that aren’t being addressed by other agencies. I then called Ursula Nesbitt and Arlene Montesano to form our foundation with Brian Lombardi, and we also have Jim Nigro on our Board. We set up our first fundraiser, the Fire Bash, at the Bella Vista Estate in Summerland, scheduled for February 22. The L.A. Fires hit, and we wanted to do something so we set up the donation drive. In the beginning of our drive, we called the Red Cross, Catholic Charities, Good Will, Los Angeles Fire Department and many others who said yes send us donations – and then later they said no we can’t take any more donations. So, we pivoted and focused on baby diapers, toys, children, health care necessities, bedding, and pets. We are donating proceeds to Baby2Baby from our joint event with FestForums on February 13 at SOhO. We are so thankful to the community because they came out in a big way.”
Adding to the data points, Lombardi said, “The donation pickup today was initiated through a partial donor that wanted to do a large contribution to the foundation’s drive and they came up with a partner, Silas Fallstich from the SB Public Market, who got a U-Haul that the Public Market is using for their donation drop-offs to the National Council for Jewish Women Los Angeles. For our donations that can’t get on the U-Haul, we have an off duty retired Pacific Palisades firefighter who is going to bring down clothes to people he knows that need them. The Local Council of Boy Scouts Troop 50 Summerland made 500 toiletry kits we are donating.”
At around 1 pm, Fallstich arrived with his wife Gina at Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Station 61 driving a 20-foot U-Haul truck. Fallstich is part of the social media team for the Santa Barbara Public Market. The SB Public Market initiated their own drive for those impacted earlier last week. Those donations were on that U-Haul.
Carpinteria firefighters Barnett, Schafer, Blattler, Tunney, Joyner, Foster and Borum joined with Lombardi, the Fallstichs and Kvistad to load the SBCSCFF donations in the U-Haul. Once they did, the Fallstitches took off to L.A. to drop off the goods at three main organizations they said they had verified needing specific donations. Gina, “We are making drop-offs at the Pasadena Community Job Center who are taking a lot of the baby stuff and helping the community there with that. Other donations are going to the Los Angeles Dream Center and the YMCA in downtown Pasadena.”
The Santa Barbara South Coast Firefighter Foundation serves and supports the Carpinteria-Summerland community and beyond. Comprised of dedicated members of the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District, they work hand-in-hand with the district and union to host and participate in events that strengthen our community and provide valuable services. For more info and about their upcoming fundraiser bash, see the 411.
411: Instagram: @carpinteriafirefighters3368
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