Donations sought for Dayton family who lost home, pets, belongings in house fire
On Dec. 23, a family living on Rainbow Drive in Dayton watched their house burn to the ground losing their home, family pets, vehicles, and belongings in the process.
Neighbors and community members stepped up with donations of clothing, food and bedding, and now a GoFundMe has been set up to help rebuild their lives.
According to organizer Heidi Lee, the Thessen Family consists of four siblings who lived together at the Rainbow Drive residence when the fire began.
“Sadly, no insurance was in effect,” said Lee. “Due to hardships through 2020, they could not afford premiums. They were in the process of reinstating, (complying) with any fixes and updates necessary to regain coverage. It was just around the corner, then disaster hit.”
The goal for the GoFundMe is $25,000 which, Lee says, will be used to help with the clean up of all the debris from the fire.
The siblings remain on the property in two small trailers, said Lee.
At this time, the cause of the fire is unknown.
“Knowing times are rough for many, if you can’t donate it’s okay, you can still help, please share this,” said Lee. “The further we can reach, the better.”
To donate to the GoFundMe, and learn more, please click here.
In addition to the GoFundMe, physical donations of warm clothing, mittens, blankets, and food are being requested as well.
Requested items and sizes are as follows:
- Gloves
- Socks
- Size 8 and 10 ladies underwear
- Size S and M men’s briefs
- Two 5-gallon propane tanks
- #325 reading glasses
- Large trash bags
- Size 9-10 and 12 ladies pants
- Size L and XL ladies shirts
- Size M and L mens shirts
- Size 29x32 mens pants
- Size M sweats
Donations can be dropped off with Holly Hill at the Dayton State Farm, located at 9 Retail Rd, no. 1.
In addition, a meal train has been set up to make sure they have warm, home cooked meals to get them through this difficult time. To sign up on the meal train, please visit https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/407qrm