Kim Kardashian spent some time at a Northern California inmate fire camp last week, swapping out her typical Los Angeles glamour for cargo pants and sneakers for the rugged mountain landscape.
What was Kim Kardashian doing at a Northern California inmate fire camp?
The reality star-turned-entrepreneur has turned her attention to criminal justice reform in recent years, and on Thursday, Aug. 29, she, her sister Kendall Jenner and TV personality Olivia Pierson met with groups of young California inmates training to become firefighters at Growlersburg Conservation Camp No. 33.
Kardashian made the trek to “learn more about the program and show support,” according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Amador-El Dorado Unit who posted about the guest appearance on Facebook.
Growlersburg Conservation Camp No. 33 is located just north of Georgetown in El Dorado County and is jointly operated by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and Cal Fire. The first program of its kind, it provides inmates ages 18 to 25 the opportunity to train to become firefighters and in turn fully expunge their felony records upon release.
“These incredible men are incarcerated firefighters saving our state, homes and communities from fire,” Kardashian posted to Instagram on Friday, Aug. 30, sharing pH๏τos from the camp to her 360 million followers.
Some have speculated that clips from the visit may be featured her reality television show “The Kardashians,” as film crews were spotted in some of the pH๏τos posted by Cal Fire. “The Hangover” producer Scott Budnick, who launched the nonprofit Anti-Recidivism Coalition to support formerly incarcerated youth, was also reportedly on site.
“So grateful for the love and inspiration you brought the guys yesterday! Gave them hope. The guys and the staff loved every minute!” Budnick commented on Kardashian’s post.
The Skims founder has been actively using her platform to spotlight prison reform efforts in recent years, from joining Vice President and Oakland native Kamala Harris at a roundtable discussion about criminal justice in April to meeting with the Department of Justice last week.
As Budnick commented on her Instagram, these efforts appear to be “only the beginning.”
