Bethenny Frankel’s BStrong Is Delivering Aid with Dignity to L.A. Fire Victims (Exclusive)

“Extra” spoke to Bethenny Frankel, whose BStrong initiative is on the ground in Los Angeles to assist with relief efforts after the devastating wildfires.

She told “Extra,” “I have friends who live in the Palisades, and I just have a connection to the community." She added, "I did watch a friend's house burn in real time on the security camera… It is wild to be like, ‘Will my house be standing tomorrow?’”

Frankel later added, “This is a complete decimation, and the mental, financial, physical, and emotional aftermath is going to be very serious.”

She said to all the fire victims, “We are here for you, and what you need the most is to feel seen and loved and heard. What's crazy is that is more important than even what they get... People mostly are affected by [knowing] someone is there for me."

Her BStrong organization puts together crisis kits packed with supplies and distributes cash cards to victims, with a focus on delivering the aid people need in a dignified manner.

She shared, “We deliver aid to different vetted orgs, churches schools, etc. In addition, we have crisis kits because this is Phase Zero — people don't have a suitcase, they don't have a house, they have nothing. These crisis kits are incredible. They have hydration and cups and beans and… things for kids and masks and sanitation, hygiene, all these kinds of things that people need right now.”

Frankel added of the cash cards, “They can take the cash card into their communities, put money back into their communities, and buy what they need.”

She stressed, "A big problem right now is lack of dignity. They had a house yesterday, they have nothing today, and now they're digging through piles of old clothing... We know what they need, because we know how to do this in each place, and people tell us what they need. And that's all we have is what people have in a dignified manner. Organized, streamlined. It should not be a hodgepodge."

Bethenny, who has partnered with Global Empowerment Mission, said, “We will be here like we are still in Paradise, in Maui, in North Carolina, for years to come… We don’t leave after the headlines fade."