Nestled in California’s southeastern corner, the Imperial Valley is home to low-income, agriculture-based communities facing increasing environmental challenges. Surrounded by mountains and located below sea level, this region is uniquely vulnerable to air pollution from surrounding metropolitan areas, industrial-scale agriculture, and toxic dust storms stirred from the drying Salton Sea, laden with industrial and military-grade pollutants.
The result is a public health crisis of chronic poor air quality, persistent drought, and contaminated water systems.
Historically underserved and under-resourced, many families in the Imperial Valley have endured years of respiratory illness, unsafe drinking water, and deteriorating indoor living conditions with little assistance from regulatory agencies.
Building Weather Resilience in the Salton Sea Communities
The Weather Resilience Fund was established to support local extreme weather resilience efforts, helping to ensure that vulnerable communities are better prepared for, and can adapt to, increasingly intense weather conditions and weather-fueled natural disasters.
In partnership with a local nonprofit organization, the Comite Civico del Valle, GoFundMe.org sponsored a local grassroots effort to equip citizens in the Imperial Valley with air purifiers and access to clean water.
The results were immediate and impactful.
One mother shared, “Before we had the purifier, I would cough and wheeze all night. I couldn’t sleep, and it was affecting everything—my work, my stress, my health. Now, I can sleep through the night. I feel like I can breathe again.”
Another resident from Salton City expressed, “There’s no way we could’ve afforded an air purifier. When the GoFundMe.org program reached out, I thought it was too good to be true. But now, even on the worst air days, my family has a safe space indoors.”
By installing simple point-to-use water systems and air purifiers, the air and water quality was drastically improved for families suffering from chronic respiratory conditions and polluted water. These purifications became lifelines, particularly in homes adjacent to outdoor pollution sources or with poor insulation, and most powerfully, restored dignity and hope.
Unfortunately, these issues are not unique to the Salton Sea Communities, and a mass adaptation to environmental crises is yet to be implemented. Similar communities across California are struggling to combat their own exposure to increasing heat, unsafe drinking water, and poor air quality. However, GoFundMe.org’s success in funding the Salton Sea Weather Resilience project has shown that targeted, community-led interventions are possible and effective. Building on this success, GoFundMe.org has expanded its efforts to support another community facing weather-related challenges: Five Points, California.
Community Action against Environmental Challenges in Five Points
In Five Points, GoFundMe.org is currently working with the Central California Environmental Justice Network, (the CCEJN,) to provide citizens with targeted support in managing the very same climate-related issues: air quality made toxic by pesticides, dust, and odors, unsafe drinking water, and extreme heat. CCEJN, a grassroots environmental justice nonprofit, works to foster weather resilience in the most vulnerable Californian communities. Many of these communities–largely agricultural and vital to the U.S. economy–continue facing immense financial barriers in implementing clean water sources and air purification systems.
In response to these concerns, CCEJN worked with residents of Five Points to identify immediate needs and deliver practical interventions. With funding from GoFundMe.org’s Weather Resilience Fund, CCEJN was able to:
- Distribute 26 air purifiers to households affected by dust, pesticides, and odors from nearby agricultural operations and a large animal feeding facility. Residents noted improved sleep and reduced indoor odors.
- Install reverse osmosis water filters in twenty two homes. Families expressed relief at no longer needing to purchase and transport bottled water weekly, a task especially difficult for elders and those without reliable transportation.
- Assess five homes for the installation of mini-split cooling systems. These upgrades will provide safer indoor temperatures during extreme heat, particularly important for households with children, seniors, or individuals with chronic health conditions.
These small but meaningful improvements have helped Five Points residents better cope with environmental pressures that affect their daily lives. The air purifiers offered comfort and health benefits in homes directly exposed to outdoor pollution. The water filters eased a long-standing burden of relying on bottled water for basic needs. And the cooling system upgrades in process represent an important step toward climate adaptation in a region experiencing longer and more intense heat waves. After receiving a water filter, one resident said: “Now I feel at peace knowing that my children can open the tab and are able to drink from that water.”
While these interventions do not replace the need for systemic change, they provide families with tools to protect their health and manage everyday challenges more safely and affordably. Community members emphasized the importance of being included in conversations and receiving support tailored to their specific circumstances.
This initiative highlights how direct engagement and locally-informed solutions can bring measurable relief to rural regions navigating the effects of extreme weather and long-standing environmental inequities.