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Date: 12/16/2021
BELCHERTOWN- After a family of four lost their home and many of their belongings in a fire, the entire Belchertown community has rallied around the family to provide donations of food, Christmas gifts and any assistance they might need.
Over email Molly Adams, one of the Belchertown residents leading the relief effort, told Reminder Publishing the damage to the home would require it to be completely rebuilt.
“This fire left many of their belongings untouched, but the smoke damage will force them to dispose of 95 percent of everything that is left. The house will then need to be torn down and rebuilt from the foundation up to make it habitable again,” she said.
After hearing the news about the fire, Adams said she wanted to help the family any way she could.
“Knowing that the next few weeks would be filled with insurance adjusters, assessors, long commutes to school, hotel laundry and take-out food, I just wanted to help them in any way I could. Their most pressing need (that I don’t think they had even realized) was really just someone to help coordinate all the small details as they dealt with the long and emotional process of rebuilding their house and their lives, while still trying to make the holiday season an enjoyable time for their two children,” she said.
Adams said the community support has been overwhelming.
“The outpouring of support that we have experienced during this devastating time is completely unprecedented in my own experiences. It is honestly all of our worst fear to have something like this happen to our own families, and this community has come together to show so much love and support for the family who was affected,” she said.
As soon as she brought the situation up on the Polite Belchertown Community Forum on Facebook, which she also runs, people reached out immediately to find out how to help.
“As soon as I opened a discussion about the house fire on my forum, I immediately received dozens of messages asking how to help. I am still completely astonished by the response that we are continuing to receive throughout our local community from friends and strangers alike. In less than 10 days, we provided the family with funds to re-purchase the Christmas presents that were lost in the fire,” she said.
Along with replacing the lost presents, Adams said her cousin, an inventory manager at LEGO, donated LEGO sets and tablets to the family while Adams is also coordinating with the family to set up a wish list on Amazon.
“Many people have requested ideas for Christmas gifts, so we’ll be encouraging the children (and adults!) to collaborate on an Amazon wish list for themselves so we can start referring people there,” she said.
While one of the children’s book collections was ruined by smoke, someone dropped off an entire “Magic Treehouse” box set.
Adams said the family is also expecting.
“On top of everything else, the family is expecting a baby girl at the end of January. We will begin collecting baby items within the next few weeks to try to provide everything we can for them to prepare for her arrival. I’m confident we’ll be able to get them everything they’ll need just from the offers we’ve already received, with new messages coming in every day,” she said.
Once the family finds a rental property, Adams said she will have a clearer idea of what the family needs.
Along with residents in the community, businesses in the area have also contributed to the relief efforts.
“Dawn French, the manager of Antonio’s, offered to cover the first meal train dinner from the restaurant, which was ultimately comped by the owner herself. Elsie Adoboe from Auntie Elsie’s is putting together a basket of her specialty baked goods this week. Sue Hevey from Claymates put together a super cute ceramics basket with painting supplies for the family, and she even included a vintage ceramic tree (you know the one!) that she painted herself. Justin Carlson from JC Mattress Co in Hadley has offered to provide the family with new mattresses once they’re able to find a more permanent residence,” Adams said.
The school system has also lent support to the family as well.
“The principal at Chestnut Hill contacted me as soon as she found out I was coordinating donations. They have offered valuable resources to the family over the last week, including holding a very successful quarter drive for the hotel laundry machines,” Adams said.
Adams added that there are still plenty of people waiting with donations when the need arises including suitcases, furniture, appliances, baby items, winter gear, holiday décor and more.
To help with collecting donations, Adams said Brenda Aldrich, the manager at Rannsaka Consignment and Gift Shop, offered to use the store as a location for donations. Before donating, Adams said anyone willing to help must reach out to her because of the limited space available at Rannsaka. Once they have been in touch, Adams said they can drop off their donations Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. or on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Rannsaka is located at 39 Federal St.
Along with the donations, Adams said another resident, Aileen Gildea-Pyne, set up a Meal train for residents to make meals for the family.
“A meal train has been created by Aileen Gildea-Pyne at https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/q6nr2l. She has a cooler on her front step to take in meals if the preparer is unable to meet the family at a convenient time,” she said.
At the time of writing, people had signed up for meals through Dec. 19.
Adams said the family’s pets will be cared for as they recover from the fire.
“We’ve had a Petco card donated that will cover the grooming costs for the family’s [two] German Shepherds to remove the lingering smell from the smoke residue. Belchertown animal control has been taking great care of the family’s [four] remaining cats, and their insurance has secured a dog-friendly extended-stay hotel for them to live in until they’re able to find a suitable rental,” she said.
Through the relief effort, Adams said she was able to find a home for the families 27 chickens as well.
Despite how divided Adams said the town can be sometimes, she is happy to see everyone come together to support a family in need.
“It is just so refreshing to see that this community can still put all of their differences aside when one of us is in need. It truly takes a village, and our village came together when this family needed it most,” she said.
Adams also encouraged anyone interested in helping the family to join the Polite Belchertown Community Forum on Facebook where she will be posting updates about donations and the family’s needs.