Boeing donates $1 million to support Los Angeles' deadly wildfire recovery

Boeing has pledged $1 million in donations to support relief and recovery operations in the Los Angeles region in response to the devastating wildfires that are sweeping across Southern California.

Through the Boeing Charitable Trust, the company is contributing to a number of key organizations that offer vital services to impacted areas.

The following is how the funds will be distributed, according to a press release from Boeing last week.

• $400,000 to the American Red Cross, which will operate emergency shelters and provide wildfire victims with food, healthcare, and emotional support.
• $300,000 to the California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Recovery Fund, which will help underserved and difficult-to-reach communities recover from natural catastrophes.
• $200,000 to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, which provides food, personal hygiene items, and other necessities to individuals in need.
• $100,000 to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation to help provide firefighters with essential emergency equipment, fire shelters, hydration backpacks, and mental health support supplies.

Boeing has also strengthened its long-standing dedication to community involvement by implementing a gift-matching program for its employees.

The corporation will match eligible employee donations to disaster relief, boosting the collective effort to help individuals affected by the fires.

"Our thoughts are with those impacted by the wildfires in Los Angeles," the aircraft manufacturer said in a post on social media platform X. "Each of these organizations work to provide immediate relief to those in need and support to firefighters. We are proud to aid them in these efforts."

Boeing's Southern California relief initiative continues the company's commitment to support communities affected by natural disasters.

The corporation stated that it had a strong presence in California, with around 14,000 workers working in a variety of fields, including aerospace engineering, military aircraft maintenance, and satellite manufacture.

Despite that, Boeing just laid off 566 employees in California a month ago, with nearly all the cuts, except for 12, impacting Southern California.

The Orange County Register reported that the layoffs were primarily concentrated in key facilities, including 179 positions at Seal Beach, 115 in Long Beach, 144 in El Segundo, and 57 at the Astronautics Lane site in Huntington Beach.

Boeing also gave $700,000 to aid individuals affected by the wildfires around the US West Coast in 2020.

With an emphasis on providing urgent help to displaced families in California, Oregon, and Washington, the corporation donated $500,000 to the American Red Cross.

Food banks in California, Oregon, and Washington received an additional $200,000 to help thousands of people impacted by the fires with emergency food assistance.

Evacuation orders were issued Wednesday for remote communities in the mountains north of Los Angeles, where inhabitants were in danger from a rapidly spreading fire, as wildfires continue to ravage Southern California, the Associated Press reported.

The region is experiencing dangerous winds, which are anticipated to remain until Thursday, adding to the instability of the flames.

Los Angeles officials are preparing for the possibility of rain over the weekend, which may help with the firefighting effort.

As of January 24, 16:30 local time, there have been at least 28 confirmed fatalities linked to the Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles County, according to the Department of Medical Examiner of Los Angeles County.

According to the aviation magazine FLYING, volunteer pilots from the nonprofit Wings of Rescue have been filling in to move displaced animals from fire-affected shelters to new homes throughout the nation as wildfires continue to force humans and animals to flee Southern California.

Seattle Humane volunteers assisted in finding new homes for the 39 dogs and 18 cats who were on an aircraft that landed at King County International Airport in Seattle on Sunday.

In order to provide accommodation for animals affected by the fires, Wings of Rescue and Paws for Life K9 Rescue have been working to clean up shelters in the Greater Los Angeles region.

In order to guarantee that shelters have room for arriving dogs, the group has carried out many airlifts, sending animals to states including Oregon, Texas, and Pennsylvania.