Good Morning America took the initiative to leave its studios for a day and drop by Los Angeles, where the city continues to feel the effects of devastating wildfires. And let’s just say what they witnessed on ground was far worse than what is portrayed on camera. “It looked worse than it does on TV.” Those were the words of Michael Strahan’s co-host, Robin Roberts, the moment they landed in LA. So, just imagine what the families in LA are actually going through, where they have seemingly lost everything.

Strahan, who often travels to LA for NFL coverage, couldn’t believe how different the city looked. In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Strahan confessed, “There’s a little sadness, there’s still some fear. But there’s also a lot of hope and resilience, and you can feel everybody pulling together.” See, one of those instances came from the Jenkins family, who apparently lost nine homes in the Altadena neighborhood.

They had been living in that area for generations and weren’t ready to give up yet. “They’re like, We’re rebuilding. We’re not going anywhere. And just hearing that was like. Wow. It just shows the strength, the positivity and the resilience of the people and the community,” per Strahan. Now, coverage of Michael Strahan’s GMA wasn’t just limited to the Jenkins family. Strahan’s team also mentioned an 83-year-old named Walt, who went viral for his emotional interview on Big Talk. When Walt was asked, “What did you love and lose in the fire,” he simply broke into tears, replying with a heavy heart, “I lost everything. From a guy with everything to nothing.” 

Just going through that interview could make anyone emotional, hearing Walt’s pain in his words. But Strahan’s colleague Roberts has urged others to follow Walt, saying, “It’s okay to ask for help like Walter did. A man who, it crushes his soul, because he takes pride in the fact that he’s been the one that has helped so many. And he never thought he’d be in the position to be the one who needs help.” See, as Roberts mentioned, it’s okay to plead for help in desperate times. And Strahan’s GMA did reach out to the people who needed some urgent help to begin their journey to normalcy.

Michael Strahan’s GMA donates and raises more than six figures for LA wildfire victims

Considering how the last couple of weeks have passed in LA due to wildfires, the people there need all the help they can get right now. Like you can’t just give them the life they had before the blaze burned their livelihood away. However, what you can do is send them small donations. Whatever you feel would help them fight sadness.

Michael Strahan’s GMA led the initiative by bringing in the Global Empowerment Mission spokesperson Michael Capponi to their ground coverage. And Capponi announced $135,000 in donations to the Jenkins family, who didn’t have anything left in their community, “It’s a small step, but trust…everyone is doing what they can all throughout the world to support everyone here.”

See Altadena, which falls under Eaton Fire, was one of the heaviest hit areas in Southern California. Within a span of 10 days, almost 7,000 buildings were reduced to ashes, and 42,000 people received evacuation orders. Now, besides just donating GMA’s coverage on ABC, it also raised more than $6M that will directly go to the local communities and charities affected by the wildfires. Witnessing such a huge sum of donations, Strahan couldn’t control his gratitude for those who decided to chip in, “Every little bit helps, and at the end of the day, those millions. I think you are going to really give relief to a lot of people.” And we really hope they do because the families whose lives changed overnight need us more than anything right now.