In the early afternoon on Tuesday, January 7, and Tom Pieczkolon was leaving the food bank set up by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) in Burbank, north of Los Angeles. With his arms full of food – organic salad, eggs, half a liter of milk – he had no idea that the fire starting 30 kilometers away in the Santa Monica mountains would turn Hollywood upside down.

The IATSE represents 177,000 employees in 13 crafts: set designers, electricians, stagehands, costume designers, make-up artists, editors... Food aid distributions began during the writers' and actors' strike that paralyzed Hollywood in 2023. Since then, around 50 families have been coming weekly for supplies at Local 80, on West Olive Avenue, a stone's throw from Universal Studios. The office had to add a commercial refrigerator. "Some people use it to supplement their bills, " explained Corey Moore, the union member in charge of distribution. "Others use it because they just don't have any money. They haven't worked for a very long time."

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