Disaster Relief opens doors following California fires

After the fires raged through communities in Southern California in early 2025, Arizona Southern Baptist Disaster Relief leaped into action.

“During the California response, we had 58 individuals serve by feeding both teams and those in shelters, providing spiritual care through our chaplains, doing recovery work for those affected by the fires, providing showers and laundry to volunteers, and transporting volunteers,” said Don Vickers, Arizona Disaster Relief Director.

One of those volunteers was Bill Whaley, who went on two separate Disaster Relief trips to California. On his first trip, Whaley took a team of 12 people. He was in charge of the feeding team that fed both the victims and volunteers. The team provided 250 meals each day, lunch and dinner, and also delivered meals to shelters.

“For half of the team, it was their first time on a call out,” Whaley said.

On his second trip, Whaley helped victims search through the ashes of their homes to find any precious belongings that survived the fire.

“It was devastating. Homeowners lost everything,” Whaley said. “A team of five would spend four to six hours with the homeowners. There were times we couldn’t find anything left; the fires melted everything. It was heart wrenching to see these homeowners grieving.”

One victim in his 70s was shaking every time he sifted through a shovel-full of ashes, hoping to find his deceased wife’s wedding ring that he had looked at every morning for seven years, Whaley said.

Many of the homeowners assumed they had to pay for Arizona Disaster Relief’s services and asked why the volunteers were helping for free.

“We’d tell them it’s not going to cost you anything,” Whaley said. “We’re doing this for the Lord, being His hands and feet. We’d sit with them, cry with them and pray with them.”

The Pacific Palisades area has a large Jewish community, but Whaley said, “It didn’t matter what religion they were. They opened up and listened. Hopefully, we planted seeds for people who didn’t know the Lord.”

He told about a victim who they gave a Bible to. She said she had been Jewish her whole life, but the help from Arizona Disaster Relief opened her eyes.

“It’s not the work,” Whaley said. “It’s how it opens the doors and explains why we love Jesus and follow Him.”

Vickers said, “Arizona Southern Baptist Disaster Relief has the best volunteers! It is a blessing to be used by God to help people who have been affected by disaster and we appreciate the support our Arizona churches provide!”

When you give to the Arizona Mission Offering, part of your gift goes to Arizona Southern Baptist Disaster Relief as volunteers provide help, hope and healing to individuals and communities affected by disasters. The 2025 goal for the Arizona Mission Offering is to have 225 churches working together to give $225,000.

Learn more about the Arizona Mission Offering at azmn.org/amo/.

Claudia Macdonald, a freelance writer living in Phoenix, is a member of First Southern Baptist Church at Sahuaro Ranch, Glendale.