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Hi everyone - my name is John Pearson, and I am a lifelong California resident.  This is an incredibly devastating time for everyone across Southern California, and there are no words for the destruction we have all experienced. My mom, dad, and sister were among those that lost their home in Altadena this week in the Eaton Fire. My family is fortunate enough to be safe and sound in a rental home close to me and my partner Jory. They are not asking for donations or support at this time. 

However, my dad Mike lost thousands of cactus and succulents in the fire. The hours of love and care that were put into tending these plants cannot be recovered.  I would love to surprise my dad by helping him to restart his garden, so I am reaching out to you for help. This is not just about replacing the plants he lost, it’s about letting him get back to what he has always been passionate about - cultivating and growing plants. 

My dad has been an avid gardener and plant collector his entire life. He taught me the joys of gardening, the magic of plant names, and he is a huge part of why I became the landscape architect and plant lover I am today. He has always been incredibly generous with his plant collection, and many of our friends and family have plants that were originally cuttings from his garden. He is an active member of the San Gabriel Valley Cactus and Succulent Society, where he has won many ribbons for his specimens. Something that he was most proud of was cultivating seedlings to sell at the Cactus Society plant sales in order to raise money to keep the chapter going. 

I was never aware of an exact count of the plants in his garden, but I am fairly certain he lost over 1,000 different specimens in the fire. They were all lovingly labeled with the date and location that they were acquired, and some were cacti from his Masters program at Cal Poly Pomona in the 70’s. 

We are not asking anyone to go out and purchase anything, but we would love if you could give your garden a once over to see if you have any cuttings or spare plants that you could contribute. If you don’t have plants, we are also collecting any special stones, gravel, or planter pots so Mike can create entries for the Cactus and Succulent shows that he participates in. If you’re not familiar with the fantastic world of competitive plant shows, the presentation and staging of the entry plants is very important!! You can see some of his previous winners here.
 

Mike and his family are staying in a temporary home, so we are asking people to bring anything they can donate to our place in Frogtown. We will take care of everything here until my family finds a permanent residence. 

You can drop plants off at 2240 Riverdale Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90031, or call me at 818.636.8178 and I can arrange to come to you for a pick up. If you are sending something via mail, please address to:

John Pearson
2240 Riverdale Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90031

Please include a note with your contact information so we can send you a thank you. For those of you who are far away, this may be more tricky, but please send me a text or email and we can figure something out. If you can’t help directly, please help by forwarding this link to someone so we can increase our reach! 

Once again, we are looking for pots, stones, and any cacti and succulents – bare root, clippings, whatever, and they don’t need to be potted. We have the resources and containers to get them growing here. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

If you’re looking for a place to find plants or pots may we recommend:

Plant Material
https://plant-material.com/
3350 Eagle Rock Blvd,  Los Angeles, CA 90065

Leaf and Spine
https://www.instagram.com/leafandspine/
5440 York Blvd, Highland Park 90042

The Cactus Store (physical location now only open for special sales)
https://cactus.store/
https://www.instagram.com/hotcactus_la/

Rolling Greens (online and local delivery also offered)
https://www.rollinggreens.com/
Multiple locations in Los Angeles - check website for more info

Mickey Hargitay Plants (online and local delivery also offered)
https://mickeysplants.com/
1255 N Sycamore Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038

And check out the San Gabriel Valley Cactus and Succulent Society while you’re at it!
https://sgvcss.com/
301N S Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA 91007

Thank you so much for taking the time to consider helping Mike in his time of need. 

We know there are many people and families who are in much more dire situations, so please make sure to visit the websites below to figure out how you can help them, or donate to causes who are assisting those in need.

+ GoFundMe Wildfire Relief Fund 2025 (Official)
+ American Red Cross
+ California Fire Foundation
+ California Community Foundation
+ DirectRelief
+ World Central Kitchen
+ Los Angeles Regional Food Bank
+ Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation
+ Baby2Baby
+ LAUSD Education Fund (*many schools have burned down)  
+ Global Empowerment Mission
+ United Way of Greater Los Angeles  
+ L.A. Works
+ Mutual Aid LA Network