During the wildfires up in Northern California I helped a group of concerned citizens organize and distribute the supplies people donated. We were out there getting people food and clothing before governor Jerry Brown had even scheduled his press conference and before any government aid (aside from the amazing first responders) was allocated. Citizens can do a lot to help each other in times of crisis and its important that we not become too reliant on federal aid. The way we responded to the tragedy made me feel so much more connected to my community.