This week’s column is guest written by Chris Briffett, director of volunteer services at Pasadena Humane.

In times of crisis, a community’s true spirit shines through. In the wake of the Eaton fire, thousands of people stepped forward to support Pasadena Humane by volunteering their time. Their willingness to jump in wherever needed ensured we could expand services to meet the crisis head-on.

Volunteers played — and continue to play — a crucial role in every aspect of our response — caring for animals, staffing information tables, distributing pet food via our Pet Food Pantry, doing laundry, and answering phone calls. Their dedication continues to carry us through this unprecedented crisis.

In the immediate aftermath of the fire, many new needs emerged. Our first priority was providing care for the more than 500 animals who came into our shelter for emergency boarding. Being suddenly displaced from their homes and routines, our volunteers helped ease these pets into a new routine.

We quickly expanded our Doggie Valet program to ensure that the dogs in our care received multiple out-of-kennel breaks daily. To meet the needs of our growing canine population, temporary socialization and potty stations were set up around the shelter.

Among the many dedicated volunteers helping out with this program since the fire began, Kristen Sullivan has been a constant presence.

Although she only began volunteering at Pasadena Humane in late 2023, Kristen is a fixture around the shelter. She regularly helps with advanced dog socialization, humane education programs for kids, dog training classes, and special events. She even briefly fostered a young kitten before adopting her.

Since the fire, she has volunteered in eight-hour shifts, four days a week. Kristen remains deeply committed and describes her experience helping the pets who have lost their homes in the fire as a privilege.

“Until their families are able to take their pets home, I take the responsibility of caring for them very seriously and do so with my whole heart,” she shared with us. “I love these dogs like I would want someone to love my own precious cats if we were separated.”

But it’s more than just a love for animals that motivates Kristen. It’s about caring for her community that has lost so much.

“Volunteering at Pasadena Humane during this time has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my life, and I am so honored to be a part of supporting our community in this way,” she reflected.

Alongside our own skilled volunteers, we were grateful to receive support from partner groups like K9 Youth Alliance and national organizations like the ASPCA and American Humane. Many of their volunteers flew into California from around the country in order to help the animals in need.

In a showing of the generosity of our community, more than 10,000 new volunteer applications poured in after the Eaton fire. This was truly unprecedented for us. As a result, we have temporarily paused new applications as we work to onboard thousands of new volunteers. We expect to reopen our volunteer program in April.

I am deeply proud of Kristen and all of the volunteers who have helped us during these challenging times. Whether they were providing comfort to displaced animals, assisting pet owners, or expressing gratitude to donors, our volunteers embodied our core value of kindness in every action.

To learn more about Pasadena Humane’s response to the Eaton Fire — and how you can help — visit pasadenahumane.org