A San Jose child’s desire to help those impacted by the Los Angeles County wildfires led her neighborhood to come together and collect donations. When four-year-old Amari saw the images from LA, her parents said she suddenly got up and went to her playroom. “We weren’t saying too much, and then she started gathering her toys,” said Jagmeet Raju, Amari’s father. “And we were like, ‘What are you doing?’ And she’s like, ‘Oh, I’m gathering the toys because it doesn’t look like these people have toys.” Amari insisted her parents help, so they sent a flyer to their friends, classmates, and neighbors asking for donations. The family and their neighbors had collected enough new kids’ clothes, diapers, foragers, and toys to fill two pickup trucks. These were all items they had seen local nonprofit organizations asking for while helping in the fire zones. “Because you need to help other people so they have enough stuff,” Amari said. On Thursday, the final donations were sent to Southern California thanks, in part, to another donation drive in Santa Rosa. “A lot of us have more than we should have, and if we can help these people […] they’re starting from scratch,” Raju said. “They have nothing. I feel like we’re fortunate; we still have a roof over our heads.” According to the American Red Cross Northern California Coastal Region, sending money is the easiest and sometimes the best option. “Hundreds and hundreds of people are staying overnight in our shelters,” said Martin Gagliano of the Red Cross. The Red Cross of Northern California has 40 volunteers helping on the ground. “Those financial donations will allow us to get the things that they need, get financial assistance, work with people on-site, and, of course, keep providing them with a safe place to stay,” Gagliano said.