When it rains, it thankfully pours.
The city witnessed one of the worst fires in its history Monday night.
The apartment at 100 Little Ave., and its 25 units, were left smouldering by Tuesday morning with only the blessing that not one of the approximately 70 displaced tenants had been injured.
Barrie’s first responders did what they do best and handled the scene effectively on the night of the fire, and now the rest of the city seems to be doing what they do best: helping their neighbours.
By Tuesday morning, there were at least two GoFundMe pages set up to assist those left homeless.
Well-known real estate agency The Faris Team, led by husband-and-wife duo of Mark and Joanna, have nearly reached their goal of $10,000 and are hoping to accomplish that soon as company CEO and broker Mark Faris said he knows that there is so much to be done for the people in need.
“Joanna took the initiative on this when we heard about it and the next day she jumped on starting it up,” said Faris. “There just seemed to be so much negativity going on around this last little while. We were all pretty shook up about the tragedy in Toronto and then the next day this happened in our home city.”
Faris says when an emergency like the Little Avenue fire happens, there’s no time to plan, only time to act.
“Our mandate is all about giving back to Barrie and the many causes in the city and we have a bunch that we are dedicated to, but these people weren’t prepared for this; no one was prepared for this and you just act,” said Faris. “We got it started with our own $2,000 donation and thankfully Barrie is so amazing in helping and we’re up to over $8,000 I believe.”
At last look it was at $8,727 with no date for closing the chance to give.
The same goes for the GoFundMe page set up by 93.1 morning radio hosts Matt McLean and Tara Dawn Winstone that is at $4,855.
McLean in no way wanted credit for what he says was the role the station could play.
“My name is attached to it only because I set it up; this is definitely from our station and the very least we could do,” said McLean.
“You hear apartment fire, 25 units and your heart sinks because you’re thinking there’s no way this is going to be good," he added. "No, it wasn’t good because people are homeless, like truly homeless, but thankfully the silver lining was that no one was injured or worse.
"But the whole thing was and is very scary with people losing everything, but I know hearing from the fire department that it is evident how important it is to have working smoke alarms.”
McLean’s morning show partner said she was very shaken by the news of the families who lost so much and thought of her own upbringing to try to understand even slightly.
“I can’t imagine what it feels like, but I know that I grew up in a single-parent household and I know that a lot of the people in that building are the same," Winstone said. "As a matter of fact, one of our sales people used to live there and said the same thing, so these are families who are already struggling before this tragedy.
“These people are starting all over again," she added. "Anyone who remembers what that’s like, or can try to understand what it would be like, can surely sympathize. There’s a huge emotional side here, but along with that is the physical act of having to go get silverware, clothes anything.
"These folks need our help and I’m proud to see how Barrie is responding.”
Besides the online GoFundMe pages, there are also countless ways to donate any items that may be needed.
Many businesses and residents are organizing donations, but the main one right now is at down at the Barrie City Hall Rotunda. The area opened Tuesday for drop-offs and donations will be accepted until Friday, April 27 at 4:30 p.m.
Mayor Jeff Lehman posted a message on his social media Tuesday letting people know what is needed:
“Many Barrie residents have expressed an interested to help the victims affected by this fire. Monetary donations to the Go Fund Me campaign which was set up this morning are the best way you can help.
Item donations (new or gently used) will be collected in the Rotunda of City Hall (70 Collier Street) until Friday, April 27 at 4:30 p.m. Some immediate needs are:
• Blankets and sheets (twin, double, queen)
• Clothing (infant, toddler and school age)
• Diapers and pull-ups/ baby wipes
• Dog and cat food, litter and supplies
• Personal hygiene items (shampoo, soap, razors, deodorant etc.)
The City will work with the Barrie Housing Corporation to distribute the items to the affected residents.”
You can still donate to the Faris Team GoFundMe page at https://www.gofundme.com/full-out-for-100-litte-avenue.
As well as the 93.1FM page at https://ca.gofundme.com/help-victims-of-the-allandale-fire.
