Jasmynn Lorenz along with her father Anthony Sammons and her children Emrin, 3, and Camrynn Lorenz, 1, look through the thousands of donated articles of clothing and supplies at Greenfield Crossing Apartments’ main office on Wednesday. Lorenz was staying with her father and her children when they lost everything due to a two-alarm fire that left several families homeless and without any type of clothes or provisions.
Tom Russo | Daily Reporter
GREENFIELD — Having lost everything she owned in a house fire in 2005, Debbie Wethington knew she had to do something to help those who lost their homes in this week’s Greenfield Crossing Apartments fire.
Before the embers had even cooled from the fire that displaced 16 families early Monday morning, the Greenfield woman brought 30 trash bags full of clothes to the apartment complex clubhouse.
She wasn’t alone.
Ever since the need to help residents was posted on Facebook around 9 a.m. Tuesday the donations started rolling into the apartment complex clubhouse at 2011 NE Bay Drive, and they haven’t stopped.
Volunteers spent hours Tuesday and Wednesday sorting through the thousands of pieces of clothing, toiletries, baby care items, car seats and school supplies.
The clubhouse is packed wall to wall with stacks of clothes — divided by size — neatly lined up on top of two ping pong tables, a billiards table, multiple folding tables and a raised counter-top that separates the kitchen. Two shiny brown leather couches are also covered in donated items, intended to make life a little easier on those whose lives have been turned upside down.
Displaced residents who stopped by were instantly moved to tears by the outpouring of support.
“It’s been a pretty emotional day for everyone,” said leasing agent Krystin Murdoch.
Assistant property manager Tessa Collis was at a loss for words to describe the scene.
“It’s…amazing. Like, absolutely amazing,” she said.
Within a short time of her first posting the need for donations around Tuesday morning, members of the Greenfield Fire Territory showed up with four or five bags of items.
“By noon we had vans backing in and unloading their entire vehicles,” said Collis.
People from Meals on Wheels of Hancock County dropped off food and employees from Creative Smiles dropped off toothbrushes and toothpaste. Employees from Benny’s Lock & Key Service helped victims get into their vehicles, since many residents’ keys were destroyed in the early morning fire.
The Confection Connection provided breakfast for displaced residents, apartment staffers and volunteers Tuesday morning, and Qdoba provided lunch on Wednesday. Two older couples brought in a handful of gift cards to Cracker Barrel and offered to bring home-cooked meals. One man brought in a stack of fleece baby blankets his wife made.
Park Chapel Christian Church took in residents who had nowhere else to stay.
“It’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen,” said Collis, who lives in the apartment building across from the building that burned and was among the first to witness the blaze.
“It was horrifying to see what happened but beautiful to see how the community has all come together,” she said Tuesday afternoon, as volunteers sifted through bags of donations that continued to pour in.
Displaced residents who stop by have been instantly moved to tears, said Collis. “They’ve been crying and emotional. I don’t even know how to explain it,” she said. “They immediately start crying (when they see all the donations), and they all talk about how blessed they feel.”
The fire destroyed half the units in the 16-unit building and caused smoke and water damage to four others. The remaining four units have been off limits to residents as fire officials continue to investigate the cause of the blaze, which was reported just before 1 a.m. Monday.
‘So very thankful’
Bobby and April Pratt stopped by the clubhouse Tuesday afternoon to pick up some diapers and wipes for their 18-month-old daughter. The couple’s apartment unit suffered smoke damage, and they were unable to grab their things before leaving to stay with family in New Palestine.
“This is just crazy,” said April Pratt, as she looked around the clubhouse stuffed with thousands of donated items. “We’re so very thankful.”
The residents weren’t the only ones moved to tears this week. Ali Marrow got choked up after volunteering to sort items at the clubhouse Tuesday.
She encouraged members of the Mothers of Preschoolers group she leads at Brandywine Community Church to donate what they could and stick around to sort items if possible.
She and fellow MOPS member Amanda Galbraith spent the afternoon sorting baby clothes and consoling parents from the apartments that were damaged, who stopped by to find clothing and other necessities for their kids.
One mom told them her family of young ones escaped in only their diapers and the clothes on their backs. All her children’s clothes, toys and a cabinet full of baby formula were destroyed in the fire.
When Galbraith and Marrow handed the mom a bag stuffed full with clothes, diapers, formula, baby food and bottles on Tuesday, all three mothers were in tears.
“Her jaw just dropped and she just stood there crying. She just said over and over and over, ‘I can’t believe that all this came together in less than two days,’” said Galbraith, who was born and raised in Greenfield.
Marrow said it was humbling to walk alongside people who had lost everything and lead them to donated items that would help them get by in the short-term, until they’re able to piece their lives back together.
The Greenfield mom donated her children’s winter coats and boots from last year along with some clothes, diapers and wipes, as well as baby formula and prayer blankets from her church.
“Being able to help these families and give them a prayer blanket and to tell them ‘I’m praying for you and your family’ is exactly what Jesus would want me to do, and we’re trying to instill that in our children the best way we know how,” she said.
“Mom-ing is hard enough without your home burning down and losing everything you have. This was the least we can do,” said Marrow, whose 4-year-old daughter donated one of her own stuffed animals.
“She said, ‘Maybe there’s a kid who doesn’t have their stuffy anymore,’” said Marrow, getting emotional at the thought.
Marrow knows it could just as easily have been her own family that lost everything overnight. A member of her MOPS steering team lives in the same apartment complex, but wasn’t affected by the fire.
Marrow heard one of the residents who escaped the fire say she didn’t get any sleep Monday night because she kept waking up from nightmares that her apartment was on fire. “I honestly can’t imagine what they’re going through,” said Marrow, who felt like sorting and distributing donations was the least she could do to help.
Galbraith said it makes her proud to live in a community where people give generously to others they don’t even know, especially in a world that can seem so divided.
“Nobody is asking, ‘Who are you voting for?’ Nobody is asking ‘What do you think of this or that?’ It’s just, ‘Here’s a stack of gift cards, what else can I do?’ When it comes down to it — when there’s an emergency — people give and people do and people show up, and I think it’s so awesome to see,” she said.
“For me as a Christian to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our community is so important. You want to show your kids how you can have an impact,” said Galbraith, whose 2-year-old son helped out Tuesday as the “tester” for donated toys.
Collis said gift cards for groceries, gas and restaurants will continue to be collected as displaced residents wait to get back into their apartments, and those who lost everything start to rebuild.
Gift cards can be dropped off at the clubhouse or mailed to: Greenfield Crossing Apartments, 2011 NE Bay Dr, Greenfield, IN 46140.
