As Woolsey fire winds down, it’s #MalibuStrong on Thanksgiving Day at Pepperdine
Blackened hillsides surround Pepperdine University as work continues on cleaning dormitories of smoke and ash, marks of the massive Woolsey fire that passed through Malibu two weeks ago and forced a large-scale evacuation.
But inside the school’s cafeteria Thursday, hundreds of people sat together eating turkey and pie, chatting, hugging and enjoying live music.
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Pepperdine, which has been doubly affected by tragedy in the past two weeks, opened its doors for a community Thanksgiving, inviting Malibu residents, first responders, students and their families and anyone else who wanted to come.
The school joined with the city of Malibu, the Malibu United Methodist Church, Malibu Jewish Center and Synagogue and area businesses for the event, serving turkey dinners and dessert donated largely by Albertsons grocery stores.
People brought donations of clothes for those who needed them, and volunteers handed out bags of toiletries while FEMA staff manned tables to connect people to services.
“It’s been a very difficult couple of weeks,” said Marnie Mitze, vice president and chief of staff to Pepperdine’s president.
Freshman student Alaina Housley was one of the 12 people killed in the mass shooting at the Borderline Bar two weeks ago. Just a day later came the start of the fire that would eventually lead to the evacuation of Malibu.
“We were coming together as a community to mourn (Housley’s) loss on Thursday,” Mitze said. “And then the fires moved in.”
At least 15 faculty and staff have lost their homes in the fire, she said, and dozens of students have lost their off-campus housing.
“This is when I’m reminded of how wonderful people are, the outpouring of kindness and wanting to help,” she said. “People want to be together, and that’s why we’re doing this.”
Hard-hit community
Thursday’s gathering was a special time for a community that has gone through a lot, said Psychology professor Liz Mancuso, at the Thanksgiving dinner with her husband Brad, 3-year-old Justus dressed in a fireman’s costume, and baby Jaxon.
On the night of the fire, Mancuso and her family evacuated their home so quickly that they didn’t have time to grab socks or shoes for their children. They could see the flames through their windows and feared the worst as they drove away.
They sheltered in place at Pepperdine’s library with hundreds of others, in line with the school’s policy regarding fires.
After leaving campus, the family stayed in a hotel in Long Beach and returned to find their house intact.
“The whole time that we were gone, we were so mindful of the people who were losing everything,” Mancuso said.
‘I am thankful’
People at the gathering filled a wall in the cafeteria with paper hearts, inscribed with their thoughts of gratitude: “I am thankful for our family and our firefighters” and “Love is all you need.”
Lucho Horna, a social worker for Los Angeles County and a musician, said he had to evacuate his home in Malibu so suddenly that he left behind his musical compositions, clothes, guitar and much more. At his feet during the Thanksgiving meal Thursday was a trash bag half-filled with personal belongings.
When he was finally able to return home a week later, he discovered that he had lost everything to the fire.
Horna has been staying with friends and sleeping in his car at a nearby grocery store parking lot, a spot many of those displaced by the fire have been spending the night, he said.
As a social worker, Horna said, he’s used to helping people in need. Now he’s the one needing and getting help. Even so, he was in a positive mood.
“God is outstanding,” he said. “(It’s) a vivid reminder that nothing belongs to us, but we owe everything to our creator.”