Why Block Parties Matter After Disaster

By Emma Welch

Senior Planned Giving Specialist, California Community Foundation

Courtesy of the Los Angeles Times.

Block parties. Monthly dinner clubs. Garden walks. Playdates. Months after wildfires devastated Altadena, Pasadena, Pacific Palisades and Malibu, these neighborhood gatherings are doing far more than offering food and fun. They are rebuilding something just as essential as homes: social connection.

Decades of disaster research show that recovery is not driven by money, insurance, or even government response alone. What most consistently determines how well survivors regain their sense of safety and well-being is what researchers call social cohesion—the strength of relationships among neighbors. In short, the power of people.

Challenges Survivors Face

In April 2025, the California Community Foundation (CCF) conducted the LA Wildfires Recovery Needs Assessment with more than 630 community-based organizations.  This survey found survivors face persistent challenges with housing, job loss, financial stability, mental health, trauma, and a sense of belonging. A separate Department of Angels survey of more than 2,000 survivors found that three in four reported worsening mental health since the fires.

Research helps explain why community-centered approaches matter. Daniel Aldrich, a Northeastern University professor who lost his home in Hurricane Katrina, has studied disaster recovery across the U.S. and abroad. His findings—from New Orleans to Fukushima—are consistent: survivors’ recovery is shaped less by wealth or physical health than by whether they have friends and neighbors nearby. In Fukushima, social ties were the only factor shown to reduce anxiety after the disaster.

Recognizing the need for social cohesion, more than 60 programs have been supported by CCF and partner funders to address the emotional, spiritual, and social recovery of Eaton and Palisades fire survivors. These grants aid in prioritizing neighbor-led efforts that strengthen social networks and foster collective healing over time.

“Many survivors continue to carry the heavy weight of loss and trauma,” said CCF President and CEO Miguel A. Santana. “Yet again and again, we see how healing begins when people come together. Survivors are leading the way—supporting one another, rebuilding trust and restoring community.”

Nonprofits Strengthening Connections

In Malibu, Big Heart Ranch will use its grant to expand programs that create healing connections between people and animals. Home to nearly 80 rescued horses, donkeys, alpacas, pigs, and other animals, the ranch will invite wildfire survivors to participate in equine therapy, healing days, mobile pop-ups, and hands-on restoration work.

“There is something that happens when an animal looks into the face of a child who has lost a home,” said Executive Director Denise deGarmo. “It’s magical—and deeply healing.”

In Altadena, a grant to the Rotary Club will support community traditions such as pancake breakfasts, summer concerts, and the beloved Christmas Tree Lane, where historic deodar cedars survived the Eaton Fire but infrastructure must be repaired.

The Altadena Library Foundation will add food, festivities and creative activities—like face painting and balloon art—to existing programs, transforming everyday services into spaces of connection.

These efforts respond directly to what survivors say they need. After catastrophic wildfires, rebuilding structures is necessary. Rebuilding connections is essential.