Family-Run Farm Donates Over 300,000 Eggs to LA Fire Victims, First Responders

Rosemary Farm in Santa Maria said it is working with multiple organizations in California to donate eggs to those in need.

Rosemary Farm representatives Jose Pelayo (L) and Lisa Stothart (R) deliver eggs to those in need at the Los Angeles Food Regional Bank in City of Industry, Calif., on Feb. 12, 2025. Damian Dovarganes/AP Photo

A California-based farm is donating more than 300,000 fresh eggs to people affected by the wildfires that devastated the Los Angeles area in January.

In a statement on its official website, Rosemary Farm in Santa Maria said it is working with the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and other organizations in the state to donate about 270,000 eggs to community members throughout February.

The 100-year-old family-owned business also pledged to donate 54,000 eggs throughout January and February to several organizations. Those eggs will be used to prepare meals for first responders, schools, city officials, and community members across the Los Angeles area, it said.

Other eggs will go to the LA bakery Winter Fate Bakes, and will be used to make birthday cakes for displaced children to “make their birthdays feel special,” Rosemary Farm stated.

The donations come at a time when egg prices have soared across the country, driven in part by an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza—commonly known as bird flu—that has forced farmers to slaughter millions of chickens.

This led to an egg shortage and prompted some stores nationwide to impose limits on the number of eggs customers could purchase at a time.

Against the backdrop of higher inflation, egg farmers are also facing higher costs for feed, fuel, and labor.

They are also investing more in biosecurity measures to try to protect their birds.

As a result, prices of the eggs have more than doubled since the summer of 2023. The average price per dozen eggs nationwide reached $4.15 in December, although that is still not quite as high as the $4.82 record set two years ago.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said last week that the price of eggs is expected to increase by another 20.3 percent this year as the outbreak continues.

“Now, more than ever, our communities need fresh, nutritious food,” Tracy Ramsdell, a family representative at Rosemary Farm, said. “We wanted to give not only to organizations distributing food to those in need but also to those cooking for the men and women on the front lines of these destructive and destabilizing fires. This is our way of supporting both families facing hardship and all of the first responders working tirelessly to protect them.”

It is just over a month since multiple wildfires erupted across Los Angeles, claiming the lives of 29 people, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).

The blazes were fueled by severe drought conditions, low humidity, and strong winds and burned through approximately 57,660 acres while destroying 16,249 structures, according to Cal Fire.

Officials are currently working to determine the cause of the fires.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.