San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission reopens donation center warehouse destroyed in fire

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday to open a 10,000-square-foot facility that was built to replace their warehouse destroyed in a fire two years ago.

The new warehouse is located at 13422 Saticoy Street in North Hollywood and will store clothing and other donated items for the mission's three thrift stores.

The 2014 fire gutted the mission's emergency shelter and food pantry and left about 10 families displaced.

"It was devastating, it was absolutely devastating to see what had happened here," said Wade Trimmer, the organization's executive director.

Sales from the mission's thrift stores directly support programs provided by the mission, along with its new 90-bed family shelter in Northridge.

But the mission needs more in the form of donations. Since the fire, homelessness in the San Fernando Valley has experienced a 35 percent increase, according to the 2016 homeless count results, which were just released last week.

Organizers hope the new facility will help change that.