Samantha Becker, family relative, said $1,000 raised within hours of launching the charity
A fire ravaged the home of a Harrison Township family in mid-June.
For four hours, fire departments from Harrison Township, Harrisonville, East Greenwich, Woolwich, Mantua, Glassboro and more fought the flames and rescued the occupants. The water used in the battle was trucked to the scene. The location of the home does not have municipal water coverage.
At the time of publication, the incident was still under investigation by the Gloucester County Fire Marshal’s Office. Information regarding the origin of the fire was not available.
However, what is known is community members have come to aid the family, the Demolas.
On Saturday, June 16, less than 24 hours following the fire, a GoFundMe page was created by Samantha Becker, a family relative.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect and it’s actually been way better than I could have imagined,” Becker said.
On the site, Becker wrote “The Demola family (my aunt, uncle and cousins) just experienced a horrible tragedy and their entire home burned down. They have lost all of their clothes, food, and valuables, etc. My family and I would love to help them out as much as possible, and in any way possible.”
Becker said the family lost a car, multiple pets, clothes and more.
The original goal was $1,000. Within hours, Becker said, that was met and surpassed.
She mentioned one of her intentions was to assist her family with gaining everyday objects generally taken for granted, such as toiletries.
She then increased the goal to $5,000. As of June 20, 41 donations totaled $3,155.
Messages accompanied many donations.
A message from Amber Rosenwald reads, “We are here for you during your difficult time Sending love and prayers to you and your family.”
From Robert Supino, “You guys were always good to me growing up. So sorry. Let me know if you need any extra hands.”
Becker said many of the donations are from community members.
“It’s amazing, we have a really caring community,” she said.
Becker is a nurse who lives and works in Philadelphia and grew up in Mullica Hill.
To visit the page, go to https://www.gofundme.com/the-demola-family-house-fire.
As another avenue to donate, items such as clothing, food and toiletries for the family can be dropped off at Platt’s Farm Market on Cohawkin Road.
