Thursday, March 26, 2026

Fire-Displaced Altadena Church Will Host Free Resource Event for Eaton Fire Survivors

[photo credit: Lift International]

LIFT International partners with the California Community Foundation and Altadena CDC to offer employment, health, and homeowner services in Pasadena

An Altadena church that lost its building in the Eaton Fire will host a free community event Sunday offering employment, financial, health, and homeowner resources to residents still navigating the aftermath of the disaster.

LIFT International Church, which has been operating from a borrowed campus at Westminster Presbyterian Church on North Lake Avenue since the January 2025 fire, is partnering with the California Community Foundation and Altadena CDC for the event, called “H2O: Help for Overcoming Obstacles.” The fire destroyed more than 9,400 structures in Altadena and surrounding communities, according to Cal Fire, and the event’s organizers say residents continue to face barriers to recovery more than 14 months later.

The event will take place March 29 from noon to 2:30 p.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1757 N. Lake Ave. A complimentary breakfast will be provided. Admission is free and open to the public.

According to a press release from the organizers, services available at the event will include employment opportunities, a live interactive symposium for homeowners, funding and financial resources, medical and health screenings, free counseling and consultations, and access to affordable architects and developers.

“This event is about meeting people where they are and connecting them to real solutions,” said Dr. Anthony McFarland, pastor of LIFT International Church, in the press release.

McFarland and his wife, Dr. Micheline McFarland, founded the church — originally named Abundant Harvest Christian Center — in 2000. The couple lost their own Altadena home in the fire, along with 17 other church households. The church opened crisis centers within 48 hours of the fire’s start on January 7, 2025, providing food, clothing, and counseling to displaced residents, according to the Los Angeles Sentinel.

The California Community Foundation, one of the event’s partners, has raised more than $100 million through its Wildfire Recovery Fund and distributed more than $30 million in grants to more than 200 nonprofit organizations since the fire, according to the foundation. LIFT International was among 14 organizations to receive grants from the foundation in November 2025. The Altadena CDC, the event’s other partner, describes its mission as protecting fire-impacted communities through equitable recovery solutions and preventing displacement, according to its website.

The event is the latest in a series of community resource efforts organized by LIFT International since the fire. The church hosted a “Rock the City” youth event in January 2026 and participated in a “Gathering of Love Luncheon” for displaced seniors in 2025, according to news reports.

For more information, visit www.liftaltadena.org/events or contact LIFT administration at liftadministration@gmail.com. Ron Carter can be reached at (626) 345-1413.

“H2O represents renewal, resilience, and the flow of opportunity for individuals and families working to overcome obstacles,” McFarland said.