It’s been hard to write through the smoke

I was going to share a bit of snark about correcting total strangers (of which I am guilty). But then came the Los Angeles Wild Fires.
 
In a former life, Mr. Parker and I lived in Los Angeles. We spent the first two days of the endless fire news doing our best to find out that our friends were out of harm’s way. At least two of them have had their homes wiped out completely. And seeing images of the fire lighting up the night sky behind The Magic Castle, just a short walk from where we used to live, was surreal.
 
In Mr. Parker’s latest blog post for Free The Pizza, he talks about how we’re responding to the tragedy, and how our friends might play a small part in helping those currently in need. Following is an excerpt:

We have friends in the Napa Valley who’ve experienced wildfire destruction, and have visited them in the wake of those fires. It’s startling, the smoking scars left by random infernal ferocity.
 
But you don’t expect to see this flagrant mayhem in the urban setting that used to be your own back yard. It feels more like something you’re supposed to read about from the 19th century involving Mrs. O’Leary’s cow.
 
We’ve got a home pizzamaker friend in Los Angeles. The first night of fire, I’m thinking, “He’s nowhere near Pacific Palisades. He doesn’t have that much money.” The next morning, his entire neighborhood was a pile of ash. 

(Though I can’t help thinking about the Hollywood version, that in the coals and rubble lies his pizza steel, awaiting recovery to make pizza for hungry neighbors. Somewhere there must still be an oven.)
 
It’s numbing.
 
And what do you do about it?
 
I’m not sure you ignore it and write a snarky story about a stupid kitchen tool [as I’d planned].
 
As I was pondering this, I glanced at my in box.

There was an email from a friend’s charity.
 
And I thought, THAT’S what you do. You may know of Scott Wiener, the king of the pizza geeks. He’s famous for running Scott’s Pizza Tours in NYC. That’s probably what most people know about him.
 
Scott also consults to pizza businesses nationwide. He’s a pizza educator and an author. He was even part of a team of high-profile American pizzaioli who worked with the fabled Neapolitan flour company Antimo Caputo to formulate a product for the American pizzeria market.
 
If that’s not enough, Scott holds the Guinness World Record for the planet’s largest collection of pizza boxes.
 
Scott’s business is being Mr. Pizza. It was only a matter of time before he founded a charity. It's called Slice Out Hunger. The stated mission of Slice Out Hunger is “fighting food insecurity across the US.” To date, they've raised over $1.6 million to fund hunger relief across the country. 
 
And right now, Slice Out Hunger Pizza Relief is feeding Angelenos in need with the Slice Out Hunger LA Wildfire Relief Fund. The email says in part, “Hundreds of thousands of LA residents have been evacuated and we'd like to make sure that they are well fed during this difficult time.”
 
You might be thinking you could make a cash donation to help feed displaced Angelenos. And you’re right. You can do that by clicking this link and clicking “Donate.” It links you to the direct donation page [for our fundraising page].
 
However, if you’re a pizzamaker, whether amateur or pro, there a couple of other things you can do to raise money by bringing some fun. As a home pizzamaker, you can host your own Pizza Relief party or pop-up by February 5th. [There’s info about how to do that right here.]
  
During the course of writing this, I mentioned “Home Pizza Party Fundraiser” to The Fabulous Honey Parker, and... As I suspected, it was only a matter of minutes before that mention snowballed into a date, a time, and a quick list of 50 people who are invited to our upcoming pizza-slice happy hour.
 
I now have to make a pile of dough for 18 pizzas for next weekend’s party. I’ve submitted our application to Slice Out Hunger. We’re waiting for the info. We’re starting a Facebook page for our pizza-loving friends where we'll bombard them with details so they can swing by for happy-hour slices and adult beverages and, oh, a quick QR-code donation.
  
Whatever you do, thank you for doing it.
 
To make a cash donation to Slice Out Hunger, click here and click “Donate.”
​
​See you at the pizza party.

By the time this post goes up, it will have been well over a week since the fires began. Those of us not in the Los Angeles area will be moving on with our lives and focusing on the next soundbite. It’s to be expected. But folks in the burn-zone will still be deep in it. Still displaced. Still wondering, “What next.”
 
I invite you to look back for a moment and do what you can. And if you’d like to donate, here’s the link just one more time.
 
Cheers,
Honey Parker