Community Comfort: How the Neighborhood Church Extended a Helping Hand after the Peartree Lane Landslide

In times of adversity, communities reveal their true spirit by coming together to support those in need. As a family of faith at the Neighborhood Church, we frequently support the less fortunate through special offerings, relief efforts, and collection drives like our recent Backpack Drive. We partner with international, national, and local organizations to provide aid from the furthest corners of the globe to right here in our community. While Christian Action Ministry (CAM) handles most of our organizational partnerships and outreach initiatives, each of us has the opportunity to make a difference— big or small. Through the efforts of a few dedicated Church members and with the support of CAM, we recently had a behind-the-scenes opportunity to provide aid to people closer to home than ever before.

On July 10, a landslide destroyed a swath of homes on Peartree Lane in Rolling Hills Estates (RHE). Twelve homes were red-tagged as unsafe, and families were given twenty minutes to gather what they could and evacuate. By Monday, most of these homes had slid into a nearby canyon-- fracturing ceilings and collapsing walls along the way. In the immediate aftermath of the landslide, these families found themselves displaced from their homes and were forced to move into a nearby hotel.

The South Bay community immediately responded, with restaurants providing donated meals, local businesses extending gifts and services, and even L.A.F.D. bringing an emotional support dog to the families. The City of Rolling Hills Estates contacted faith organizations on the Peninsula, asking them to provide a dinner for an evening. A special thanks to longtime Church member, Alexa Davis, who serves as Assistant City Manager for RHE and suggested our church as a possible donor. In late July, we were contacted by an RHE Community Liaison with a request to provide a warm, home-cooked meal for some of the families impacted by the landslide. Karen Tucker jumped at the opportunity to help.

Karen has been a Church member for over 22 years. She has led Christian Action Ministry and Worship Ministry, has served on both the Board of Trustees and Church Council, and was integral in our Church becoming a support congregation for Family Promise of the South Bay. She served on the Search Committee that called Pastor Rick, has served on the Executive Board of the Southern California Nevada UCC Central Committee, and received the Good Shepherd Award in 2017. Additionally, she makes the soup every year for our Maundy Thursday Soup Supper, (15 years and counting!), and started both the Good Neighbor Network and the Good Neighbor Prayer Network. In short— she is no stranger to helping those in need.

Within 24 hours, Karen had secured a $750 allocation from Christian Action Ministry and $500 in private donations from Church members. Just three days later, Karen and her husband Chuck used a portion of those funds to provide an Italian-themed dinner for 20 of our neighbors impacted by the landslide. 

The Tuckers prepared and delivered a salad bar, lasagna, meatballs in marinara sauce with brioche slider buns, pasta, and cheese bread. Karen used two recipes from the Neighborhood Church Women’s Fellowship Cookbook to bake a fresh chopped apple cake and a devil's food chocolate cake. The remaining funds will be donated to the Rolling Hills Estates Rotary Relief Fund for all families impacted. If you would like to make a donation to support those impacted by the landslide, you can find more information on how to do so here.

The dinner prepared by the Tuckers wasn’t just a home-cooked meal; it was an opportunity for community and togetherness that brought the families closer. As they gathered around the table, sharing stories, laughter, and experiences, the hotel transformed into a space of belonging and support. Through the simple act of preparing and sharing a meal, the Tuckers served as an example of Jesus’ healing love. They helped offered a sense of belonging, hope, and a reminder that, even in the darkest times, there are those who stand ready to help.