The Chai Tea Vol. 13

Shavua Tov everyone and Welcome to 2025.

This was not how I envisioned the first edition of The Chai Tea to look in 2025. But then again, I don’t think that any of us anticipated the first official week of 2025 panning out the way that it has.

Like so many of you, I have watched absolutely astounded as Los Angeles, one of my favorite cities, has become unrecognizable. ⁠ ⁠ And like so many of you, I have felt so helpless.⁠ ⁠ LA is not only a place I love, it’s a place where so many who I love call home. Friends, colleagues, guests on my podcast and so ⁠ many within our community. ⁠ ⁠

And right now, regardless of anyone’s background, our friends need us. Tikkun Olam is a central practice in the Jewish religion. The phrase means: “repairing the world.” The practice of Tikkun Olam doesn’t always mean we repair the world in a physical sense, but the practice in our religion is that as Jews we have a responsibility to work together towards improving the world through social justice actions and to contributing to a more ethical society.

And right now, this practice means to help those who need it in any way that we can.

Call your friends. Check in on them. Let them know that you’re here—-for whatever it is that you need. I’ve shared many resources on Instagram in my stories, and I’ll continue to do so.

I want to remind you of the power of community. If everyone on this list donated $5, we would raise $15,000. If everyone who follows me on both of my Instagram accounts donated $5 that would be almost $250,000. A little bit, collectively, goes a long way. Please don’t forget that every dollar counts. Because as you all know, we’re better together.

To everyone who’s been impacted by these heartbreaking losses, please know that we’re here for you. You don’t have to rebuild alone. ⁠ As I’ll keep reminding you, we’re better together. ⁠

This week’s edition of The Chai Tea is dedicated to helping to repair the world for our friends who’ve been ravaged by the wildfires. Below there are many places that need support and ways that you can help.

Normally our weekly editions feature Jewish businesses to support—-and we will get back to this soon. So, if you have a business we should meet, please pass them this form to fill out. Questions or comments—-feel free to hit reply and let me know.

Are you ready to put some good back into this world? Are you ready for some Tikkun Olam? Here are 18 ways that together we can help the victims of the Los Angeles Wildfires this week.

See you next week.

Same time, same place.

XX,

Lindsay Pinchuk, Founder of The Chai Tea

If you like what you see here, share this newsletter with your friends, encourage them to subscribe too! We’re better together…and the larger our community around here, the bigger the difference we can make.

1. Donate to the LOS ANGELES FIRE DEPARTMENT FOUNDATION

2. Donate to the CALIFORNIA FIRE FOUNDATION, providing immediate assistance to victims through disaster relief and cash cards.

3. Donate to the LOS ANGELES DREAM CENTER. Click on their Instagram to find out what their immediate needs are. If you are in the Los Angeles area you can drop them off.

4. GOOD+ Foundation: This is Jessica Seinfeld’s organization and they are helping families in a HUGE way. Contribute to the Good Plus Foundation’s LA Fires Drive. You can BUY BABY PRODUCTS directly here, or you can contribute to the Good+ Crisis Relief Fund here.

5. Donate to the CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

6. Send Pizza Girl pizza to evacuees or to the first responders. CLICK HERE and you can order a pizza to send, make sure that you choose the tab FRONTLINE and EVACUEES PIZZA on the top.

7. Donate to PASADENA HUMANE

8. Help to rebuild the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center: The Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, which served the Pasadena area for more than 100 years, is among the many structural casualties of the Eaton Fire. DONATE HERE to help them rebuild.

9. NEW YORK: Drop of donations at IFP Communications: kids clothing, mens and women’s clothing, shoes, sheets, towels, blankets. But is has to be something you would still wear—-nothing with stains. Email [email protected] to arrange a drop off.

10. CHICAGO CHEFS COOK: If you’re in Chicago and dining out, visit one of these restaurants and choose a “Plates with a Purpose” item. Proceeds will be donated to the recovery and revitalization of restaurants impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires.

11. DONATE OR VOLUNTEER at Los Angeles Regional Food Bank

12. GoFundme.Org: Its Wildfire Recovery Fund will give emergency grants to those who are verified and families fundraising for themselves or others, as well as small businesses and nonprofits.

13. Project Camp: Runs trauma informed pop-up day camps for kids who are displaced or out of school due to natural disasters. They are currently setting up multiple sites to help families impacted by the fires. Click here for more.

14. Donate to FLEET OF ANGELS, who helps horses and other large animals.

15. Visit Airbnb.org if you’re in the need of temporary housing. AirBNB is currently connecting those in need to emergency housing in times of crisis.

16. Donate to The Labelle Foundation, a animal rescue.

17. SPREAD THE WORD TO WILDFIRE VICTIMS: The Jewish Federation of Los Angeles has a HUGE list of resources on their website. Check them out here.

18. CHICAGO AREA: Our friends at Lifeway Kefir are collecting supplies for the CA fire relief efforts. If you have packaged nonperishable food items, water, baby food and supplies to donate, please contact the email address here to donate this week, January 13-17 M-F

    DROP OFF at 6101 West Gross Point Road, Niles, IL 60714 EMAIL: [email protected]

    DROP OFF at 2101 Delafield St. Waukesha, WI 53188 EMAIL [email protected]

Please let us know how else we can help, information we can share, and any information that the public needs at this time. Simply hit reply and let us know—-we will continue to share these to our list here and on Instagram @lindsaypinchuk.