More than 100 pieces of clothing were given away to individuals and families who lost their home to the Woolsey Fire during a Nov. 21 giveaway in Westlake Village.
The garments and some toys were donated to 50 or 60 residents of Agoura Hills, Bell Canyon, Malibu and Oak Park who attended the giveaway hosted by Sharon Segal Nina Segal, a women’s apparel retailer. The 12 – 4 p.m. event happened on the sidewalk in front of the three-year-old store’s Westlake Promenade location.
Sharon Segal, the boutique’s owner, along with her sister Nina Segal, said they held the giveaway to help people in need. Sharon, a Malibu resident off and on for 49 years, said she and Nina’s homes were unaffected by the destructive Nov. 8-9 wildfire, but they knew many people—including an employee—whose lives were gravely altered due to the blaze.
“We had so many friends whose homes were [burned] and [who] lost everything,” she said. “When you go through something like this you feel so helpless. When you are waiting to find out if you have your home still, you feel so helpless. You can’t do anything to try to save your home because you have been evacuated. You just don’t know what is happening. That feeling of helplessness just talked to me. I thought, ‘What can I do for my friends, neighbors and community?’”
In response to the crisis, Segal asked several of her clothing vendors to donate merchandise, while Nina requested other merchandise providers donate handbags. The women’s clothing boutique operators pulled products off their store’s shelves, racks and hangers to give away. Additionally, their sister, Annie Segal, the owner of a store in Los Feliz, contributed children’s apparel and toys.
Wildfire victims received jeans, T-shirts, handbags, jewelry, candles and toiletries at the event. Sharon said several of the fire victims were worried about taking too much, but the sisters and other volunteers encouraged them to take whatever they needed. The leftover merchandise was then delivered to Pepperdine University for its Thanksgiving event.
Sharon said she just wanted to contribute in some way.
“Malibu is my community,” she said. “It’s not the first fire I have lived through, but it is by far the worst.”
