Along a stretch of Fair Oaks Avenue in Altadena, it seems nearly everything is burnt down in the Eaton fire’s terrible toll. Streets are fenced off and lined with construction workers collecting debris.

But on Friday morning, two months to the day since the mammoth fire tore through the unincorporated town, a newfound nugget of hope appeared in the parking lot of Fair Oaks Burger, the longstanding Altadena eatery owned by sisters Janet and Christy Lee that survived the Eaton fire.

A farmer’s market.

The sisters partnered with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s Food for Health program to launch a free weekly Community Farmers Market in Altadena for people impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires and others experiencing food insecurity.

Against a backdrop of rubble and debris were crates of fresh produce, deli meat, milk and eggs perfectly lined up for visitors to take, as well as ready-made sandwiches. Out of the Closet Thrift Stores also provided free clothes.

“We are in hardship,” said Rowena Reyna, speaking about why she decided to come to the market. “We don’t have work, because my work is burned down in Altadena.”

Reyna is a Pasadena resident who worked as a caregiver at a senior center in Altadena, which was pummeled by the Eaton fire.

Maria Sanchez was picking out clothes from the racks while pushing her 2-year-old twin daughters in a stroller. Sanchez, an Altadena resident with a family of seven, said the impacts of the wildfire still has her in a difficult situation.

“My husband is the only one who is looking for work,” said Sanchez. “Even though there is a lot of help around, moving out is still really expensive. There is help here and there, but it doesn’t really cover all the expenses.” Sanchez and her family lost their home in the Eaton fire.

AHF Executive Director Carlos Marroquín said he approached the Lees at a distribution event Fair Oaks Burger hosted after the Eaton fire with the prospect of opening up a farmers market.

“There’s such a need for fresh fruit and veggies,” Janet Lee said. “I think that something like this will, you know—it’s bright, it’s fresh, it’s free—it’s going to bring a lot of the community back together.”

Marroquín and Food For Health mobilized to the Pasadena Convention Center the day after the Eaton fire started, providing hot meals to evacuees.

“We were there assessing the situation, and we saw the need for food. So we decided to mobilize our resources. We put everything on hold for all of our resources to go to Pasadena.”

Before the Eaton Fire, most of the customers at Fair Oaks Burger were gardeners, Janet Lee said. “All of [the gardeners] customers’ homes have burned down, and most of them, they say that their work has gone down to a quarter or half of what it used to be. Right now, all we know how to do is food, and that’s why we’re doing this. Hopefully from that, maybe something big could come out of it and there could be some opportunities for people.”

Janet Lee said that they hope to host pop-ups for local businesses impacted by the fire at future Community Farmer’s Markets.

Asked how long he thinks the Community Farmer’s Market to continue, Marroquin said: A “long time.”

“I think that we’re going to be here as long as we continue to serve the community,” Marroquin said.

After Friday’s Community Farmer’s Market, starting on March 15, it will be open weekly from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays in the Fair Oaks Burger parking lot and continue to provide free sandwiches, fresh produce, and other staples. Visitors will be asked to provide their ZIP code and the number of people in their household.