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Donation drive today for San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission after fire

The fire that swept through the San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission earlier this month also destroyed half its fleet of vehicles.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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Los Angeles city employees are collecting donations Thursday for the San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission, which was destroyed when flames swept through the building earlier this month.

Canned or dry food, baby items, new or used blankets, bedding, towels, toiletries, small appliances and new or gently worn clothes and shoes can be dropped off from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. outside the Los Angeles City Hall’s south lawn, 200 N. Main Street.

The blaze started May 3 at Okote Pallets Inc. in the 13000 block of Saticoy Street and quickly spread to the nearby shelter.

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The fire destroyed the rescue mission’s emergency shelter, food pantry, half its fleet of vehicles and a processing center, which contained about $250,000 in donated items.

More than two dozen residents were also displaced by the fire, with some fleeing the scene with little more than the clothes on their backs.

The North Hollywood mission housed eight to 10 families nightly, and provided more than 1,500 meals, 1,400 items of clothing, 400 hygiene kits and 300 showers to the homeless every month through its emergency mobile program.

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