Helping Out a Friend in Need

The wildfires in Los Angeles are still not under control

The Los Angeles wildfires are still raging, with at least 27 people dead and damaged or destroyed over 12,000 structures and displacing over 100,000 residents.

My sister-in-law's family is safe, and another relative was offering their place as a respite for their friend who escaped the fires.

But this evening I found out someone I know has lost her home and only has her son and all her possessions in two carrier bags.

Gu tracked down Ngoy to make a documentary

I interviewed filmmaker Alice Gu in 2020 about her documentary, The Donut King, about the rise and fall of Cambodian refugee Ted Bun Tek Ngoy, who once owned 65 donut shops making him worth US$20 million.

However, once he visited Las Vegas for the first time, he soon became addicted to gambling...

Her film was outstanding, and was awarded Special Jury Recognition for Achievement in Documentary Storytelling at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas.

Over the years Gu, a Taiwanese-American, and I kept in touch briefly on social media.

This evening on Instagram I saw her friend posted a video, pleading for viewers to donate to a GoFundMe page for Gu. He explained she was a friend for over 26 years, but that she had lost everything in the LA wildfires.

I felt bad making only a small donation, but every bit helps. 

She thanked me for the contribution, and admitted she reluctantly agreed to the GoFundMe page, but that expenses had been adding up.

While it's understandable that it's hard to accept help, I have found over the years that it really does take a village to help; just relying on a friend or relative is not enough financially, emotionally, practically. And as humans we all want to help our community.

I hope people like Gu will eventually get back on their feet bit by bit. And we can all help them do that.