City workers and firefighters carted off piles upon piles of donations Friday for people affected by the Little Avenue fire earlier this week.
The donations, which had been collected at the Barrie City Hall Rotunda, have been taken to a south-end warehouse for sorting and dispersal to the close to 70 people who were left homeless following a devastating fire Monday night at Little Avenue and Bayview Drive.
City officials have asked that the drop-off location not be publicized due to the sheer volume of donations already.
Twenty-five units were affected by the blaze, which caused $2.5 million in damages as well as another $500,000 in lost contents.
Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman said he was blown away by the level of support from local citizens.
“It’s been unbelievable,” he told BarrieToday on Friday as crews filled numerous trucks with donations in the distance. “There’s not a day that I’ve been more proud to be mayor of this city.
“I’m so overwhelmed,” Lehman added. “We’ve had to get some warehouse space.”
Some of the donations, such as toiletries and items for babies, have been given immediately to people who have been displaced, while other things will be divided up and given out once sorted.
Items are no longer being accepted due to the overwhelming response from the community, and city officials are asking people to make monetary donations.
Residents can donate at www.gofundme.com/help-victims-of-the-allandale-fire or https://www.gofundme.com/full-out-for-100-litte-avenue.
Lehman said, considering the magnitude of Monday’s blaze, he was amazed no one was seriously injured.
“It’s shocking to look at, to see the damage, how it;s possible that nobody got hurt,” he said. “It speaks to the professionalism of Barrie Fire.”
