Jennifer Garner lives in fire-ravaged Pacific Palisades, but she still found time to give back to people who lost everything.
The Alias star, 52, volunteered Saturday at chef Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen in the parking lot of a closed Jack in the Box restaurant in Altadena, which suffered tragic losses in the Eaton fire.
The food truck Dulan’s Soul Food Kitchen, owned by Greg Dolan, provided the food at the event.
Jennifer stepped up and helped wherever she was needed, whether it was serving the residents of Altadena, washing dishes or preparing food.
And she did it all with a smile on her face, wearing a blue hoodie with a blue cap on her head.
Garner began volunteering Friday to help feed firefighters and victims during the LA fires after ex Ben Affleck rushed to her home following the catastrophe.
Jennifer Garner lives in fire-ravaged Pacific Palisades, and she still had time to give back to those who lost everything
The Alias star, 52, volunteered at chef Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen in the parking lot of the shuttered Jack in the Box restaurant in Altadena, which suffered tragic losses in the Eaton fire
WCK is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that provides food assistance.
She joined chef Jose Andres for an interview with MSNBC and emotionally revealed she had ‘lost a friend’ during the catastrophic event – which claimed 11 lives.
During a conversation with journalist Katy Tur, Garner said at one point: “I have indeed lost a friend. And for our church it is very tender. So I don’t feel like I need to talk about her yet.’
“But yes, I did lose a friend who didn’t leave on time,” she continued, her voice cracking over the tragic loss.
Jennifer also reflected on the destruction of thousands of homes in the Palisades community, saying, “I…my heart bleeds for all my friends.”
“I mean, I can think of a hundred families and five thousand homes have been lost. Without even thinking, I can write down a list of a hundred friends who have lost their homes.”
Garner then admitted, “I almost feel guilty walking around my house, you know, what can I do?” How can I help? What can I offer? What do I have to offer with these hands and these walls and the security I have?’
The food truck Dulan’s Soul Food Kitchen, owned by Greg Dolan, provided the food at the event
Jennifer stepped up and helped wherever she was needed, whether it was serving the residents of Altadena, washing dishes or preparing food
And she did it all with a smile on her face, wearing a blue hoodie with a blue cap on her head
The Last Thing He Told Me actress chatted with local residents
The star – who is also an ambassador for the non-profit organization Save The Children – said the organization “will be in shelters helping parents and children and keeping them safe, social and emotional… we will be here in a big way, whole, be very present. soon.’
Elsewhere in her conversation with Tur, the actress said, “I’ve lived in and around the Palisades for 25 years, so I think we all want to help in some way to be helpful.”
“And because of my work with Save The Children, we have a relationship with the chef,” she said, referring to Jose Andres, the founder of World Central Kitchen.
“And I could just say, ‘Can I spend a day with you? What can I do to help? Put me to work.'”
The Methodist church Jennifer was supposed to attend burned down in the fires, and as she became emotional, she told Katy, “It’s my family’s church.”
After a pause, Garner continued, “And this is where my children went to Sunday school. A few weeks ago we lit the Advent candle there together. We saw the little children perform. It’s a kindergarten. It is a central part of our community.”
‘It is a gathering point for the entire community. And full of really quirky, cool, mostly working-class people from the community. And I just loved being there because wherever I went, I always ran into someone from our community.”
She later added: “The people are strong and the sense of community is strong. We will take care of each other, and that’s still there. That is still stronger than ever.’
Garner began volunteering Friday to help feed firefighters and victims during the LA fires after ex Ben Affleck rushed to her home following the catastrophe
WCK is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that provides food assistance
During a conversation with journalist Katy Tur, Garner said at one point: “I have indeed lost a friend. And for our church it is very tender. So I don’t feel like I need to talk about her yet.”
The gusty winds continue to blow through Los Angeles and could still spark new fires, although they appear to have weakened somewhat from their highs on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning.
Since the Pacific Palisades fire broke out, new fires have broken out further east in Altadena, forcing major evacuations in nearby Pasadena Tuesday evening.
More fires broke out in the Hollywood Hills on Wednesday, threatening densely populated parts of Hollywood, but by Thursday they were fully contained.
Starting Saturday, the Palisades Fire will move northeast into the San Fernando Valley and the return of high winds after two relatively calm days could pose a real challenge for overextended firefighters.