On every corner of the parking lot, Dave Stone takes photos of classic cars with their owners by their sides, chats with them, and suddenly someone comes up and hugs him, again and again, as he continues on his journey.

Those gathered with their classic vehicles are victims of one of the most destructive fires in recent years in California, the Eaton Fire, which claimed the lives of 19 people and burned some nine thousand buildings last January.

Since this weekend marked seven months since that catastrophe, dozens of residents affected by the fire and in the process of recovering emotionally and materially gathered for the Cars and Coffee Club.

The club members attended the event, but also many members of the community to see the vehicles such as a DMC DeLorean, a '65 Mustang with a giant Bob's Big Boy doll, a '68 Ford F250 and a 1916 Franklin Model 9A among others.

Despite the attractive vehicles, most people came because they said they felt a deep need to spend time with those in their affected community.

“It’s a people-cars show,” one attendee told Stone from her car window.

The idea for the event formed when Stone began taking thousands of photos of classic cars she found destroyed by the Eaton Fire. She then shared them with the stories of those affected on her Not EV Altadena Instagram account, and the community began to connect.

By connecting with a large number of people, Stone saw a need for community after many lost their homes and were displaced.

When Stone sees the smiles and excitement of those in attendance at her weekly meetings, it brings tears of joy to her eyes, seeing that there was a place where those affected by the fire could come together and feel like they belonged.

“I used to think community was a place where you lived, but now I know it’s a kind of social fellowship, both consciously and subconsciously,”said Stone.

Jorge Trujillo first attended the Cars and Coffee event when it was held elsewhere and only 10 to 15 cars showed up, but this time he was amazed to see around 60 community members gathered.

“Now we all know each other,” Trujillo said. “Everyone, whether they remember your name or not, we all say hi, shake hands, and are just here having a good time.”

A few weeks ago, Trujillo noticed a car sitting alone, apart from the other cars, but as he approached, the car owner told him his vehicle was having mechanical problems.

With his experience and knowledge of vehicles, Trujillo helped the driver change the car’s distributor and got it running like new.

“A lot of people are from here, and a lot of people come from different places,” said the young Latino, who emphasized that they will surely need a larger venue to gather next time.

Hipolito and his wife, Elizabeth Cisneros, heard about the event through Instagram, so they decided to participate. Now they are very grateful to Stone for bringing together community members.

“This really reminds us why we still want to rebuild our home,” said Hipolito. “This is because Altadena is Altadena, and as you can see, people are helping each other, laughing, telling jokes, and letting each other know.”

During the fire, the Cisneros family lost their home and the equipment for their small business, Mad Hippo Designs, where they make custom designs of all kinds.

Seven months after the tragedy, they still have not been able to use the money they received from their insurance due to complications with their bank, Wells Fargo.

“We’ve been to three branches, three managers, and none of them have been able to help us,” said Hipolito.

Today, Altadena has changed a little; flowers are already beginning to grow from the ashes, and many homes are already in the process of rebuilding.

However, for other families, the situation is still complicated because they can’t come to an agreement with their insurance; while in some cases, people simply don’t have the resources to rebuild their homes.

Eileen Cullen had lived in Altadena for 11 years when the fire destroyed her home. The lot where she lived is now completely empty, except for a mailbox stuck in a flowerpot where she says she still receives mail.

After seven months, Cullen says she’s starting to have hope that things will get better.

“I think the Army Corps of Engineers did a great job, and that gives you hope; now you’re not just constantly looking at the rubble,” Cullen said. "I think that little by little everything is taking a turn,But there’s definitely still a lot to work through and process to come to terms with what happened.”

Almost two-thirds of the street where she lived is still empty, but she says that at least once a month she meets with 20 of her neighbors for a meal and community.

Cullen is currently in the process of developing a design for her home and is working with an architect, but what she’s most looking forward to is being able to return to her neighborhood and be with her neighbors like before.