He’s dodged bullets in action movies like “Furious 7” and left viewers swooning in many Hallmark rom-coms. But for the last three months, actor John Brotherton has stepped into the role of real-life superhero in Los Angeles, where wildfires burned thousands of homes and businesses to the ground in January 2025, mere miles from where he lives.
Like most superheroes, though, Brotherton downplays his efforts and doesn’t want any credit for all the heavy lifting he’s done since tragedy struck. While driving to sort donations for displaced families on in late April, the actor told EntertainmentNOW he simply wants to spread the word that the need for donations and volunteers remains high because “the devastation is so massive.”
Having worked for many years with late actor Paul Walker’s foundation, Reach Out Worldwide (ROWW), Brotherton knows that after a natural disaster, “everyone kind of plays that superhero right away. It’s our instinct to give, give, give, give, give. And then life takes over, and you kind of get back (to) your own stuff.”
“But the need is constant,” Brotherton said, acknowledging that while he’d been an ambassador for ROWW for a dozen years, having a disaster happen in his own backyard is a different experience. “And I can see now, having now been in the community for a while, the need will probably be here for another two years.”
John Brotherton Says Hallmark Fans Have Been Among Generous Supporters
Brotherton and his wife Alison, whom he called “the real hero” in their relationship, have been on the frontlines of ROWW’s work in L.A. since the fires began blazing across entire communities, including the hardest-hit Altadena neighborhood and Pacific Palisades.
The organization collects donated, new merchandise from individuals and companies and matches the items with families who have specifically requested those items, from furniture to clothes to kitchenware. Displaced people — thousands of whom are still living in hotels, apartments or makeshift housing — come to ROWW’s “depot” by appointment to receive a curated collection of donations specifically pulled together for them by volunteers, including Brotherton.
Wearing a Romance University hoodie as he chatted with EntertainmentNOW, Brotherton said Benjamin Ayres’ initiative — an online collective of generous Hallmark fans that holds fundraisers for various charities — provided them with a cash infusion of over $7,000 in February, raised in just one week, that allowed them to purchase specific items for families.
“We were able to spend every dollar exactly where we wanted it to go,” Brotherton marveled. “We bought a bunch of air fryers and air purifiers to put in our curated care packages, and they were such a hit.”
“With big (nonprofit) organizations, often you give a check, and it’s hard to understand exactly where those dollars are going,” Brotherton continued. “They’re doing amazing things, but it’s like, where does my $100 go? I don’t know. This was fun to be able to say, ‘Okay, Ben, you’ve got a piggy bank of whatever the final number was, and we got to go shopping for exactly what we needed. It’s fun to be part of something that I know I can be completely transparent, totally proud of.”
As families come to ROWW’s collection site for individual appointments to receive their care packages, Brotherton said almost all of the recipients wind up crying.
“For anyone who knows what that’s like (to lose your home), it’s why we’re trying to provide a moment to take a breath,” he said. “Have your needs met, have a conversation, come back if we can fulfill more as your needs unfold — anything from a bed to toothpaste.”
John Brotherton Provided Easy Ways Fans Can Help Families From a Distance
Brotherton told EntertainmentNOW that the need is still great in L.A., but that contributing is easy — whether financially, physically or even through social media. Those who’d like to volunteer in-person in L.A. or in other hard-hit areas of the country where ROWW has deployed response teams, can sign up on their website or send an email to responders@roww.org.
Financial donations of any amount are always welcome, Brotherton said, because it all adds up, and companies can coordinate donations of merchandise; his “Fuller House” castmate and friend Candace Cameron Bure, provided many items from her clothing line. But for those who’d like to know exactly where their money is going, they can purchase items on ROWW’s Amazon wish list for displaced families in L.A., from kitchen utensils to laundry baskets to nonstick cookware.
“And then, you know, there’s also (building) awareness,” Brotherton said, noting how helpful it is when people share ROWW’s mission with friends or social media followers. “Sharing on Instagram, that’s awesome. Even re-posting a story. There’s a million ways that people can give, even if they don’t have $1 to spare.”
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John Brotherton Becomes a Real-Life Superhero After Wildfires: ‘There is Constant Need’