Help the Greenhouse Family Rebuild after the Eaton Fire

Adam, Natalie, Aaron (6), and Eliza (3) had built a beautiful life for themselves in Altadena, California. Not all of it went up in smoke when the Eaton Fire destroyed their home on January 8th. They safely evacuated LA together with a few valuables, documents, and most importantly, each other.

But the road to rebuild what they’ve lost will be long. Adam and Natalie know how big and loving their community is — how many people love and want to support them — which is why they’ve given their family the OK to start a GoFundMe, a centrally-managed account they can use to start replacing some of what was lost.

What can’t be replaced are the strawberries and tomatoes that grew in the garden behind their little green house on Olive Avenue... The smell of lavender that greeted you when you pulled up to their walkway… The brilliant pink and orange sunsets that could be seen through the living room window… The mountain skyline that seemed to snuggle their neighborhood or the sweet memories they made there.

If you feel compelled to support their rebuilding efforts in a financial way, we invite you to consider giving through this page. In the immediate aftermath, they’ll need to replace household items for daily living, clothes, and (of course) books and toys for the kids. To mail items (an upcycle economy!), please contact a family member for their mailing address.

Adam and Natalie want you to know that they know how blessed and resourced they are to be surrounded by love, family (and hopefully a fair insurance settlement) and hope you feel no obligation to support them directly. As they grieve the loss of the entire physical community of Altadena, one of the oldest in LA, and wish that you consider donating to the Mutual Aid Los Angeles Network , the LAFD Foundation , Cafe de Leche Employee’s GoFundMe , or the Pasadena Community Foundation’s Eaton Canyon Fire Relief & Recovery Fund.

Thank you for supporting the Greenhouses and their community during this challenging time. Your love and generosity means everything.

Now, for the timeline of events:

On Tuesday, January 7, the Greenhouses were in the midst of their evening routine in their “green house” as they tracked the developments of the Eaton Fire which broke out less than 5 miles from their home. By 8 p.m., evacuation orders were in place for neighboring areas in Altadena (<2 miles from their home). As the lights flickered, Adam and Natalie decided to pack up some essential belongings and relocate to Natalie’s parents’ home in Eagle Rock for the night expecting an evacuation order to come at some point (because of the smoke…to not burden resources…not imagining that the fire would consume whole blocks of their community). Thankfully, Natalie gathered her heirloom jewelry and some of Adam’s most sentimental things were in storage elsewhere.

They arrived in Eagle Rock to a neighborhood without power. At 3 a.m. the morning of Wednesday, January 8 an evacuation order was in place for their home. They woke to headaches induced by the smoke (the fire less than 10 miles away) and by 6 a.m. their ADT alarm was triggered…likely indicating that the fire was consuming their home but unclear. They determined it best to vacate the area entirely given the power outages, ash rain, and air quality. As they drove north, they received confirmation from neighbors and friends that their home perished along with the 1,000+ homes in their community. On their block, not a single home has survived.

As the family takes a few days to grieve and gather strength by the ocean in Pajaro Dunes, they have a long road ahead to rebuild. In the near future, they will be relocating to Natalie’s parents’ home in Eagle Rock, CA, where the kids go to school and Natalie works.

They appreciate your love, support, prayers and generosity in all shapes and sizes immensely.

What they will miss most is seeing their children thrive and come into their own in so many ways in their home. The garden window from the kitchen that gave a perfect view of Aaron at his sand table processing big feelings and a new baby sister and creating a world of wonder; Eliza’s independence and her own “big girl bed” – a family antique that her grandmother slept in as a child. The portraits taken of them at 3 and 1. Natalie’s ornament collection…all special from their travels and symbolic in some way. Too many objects lost but stories will live on. What remains today are a few scraps from a copper mirror Adam’s grandfather, Bobby, made, and their mailbox.