the simple way needs help

i have mentioned the simple way before & shane claiborne as well. i am saddened to hear of the 7 alarm fire that has damaged the homes and hub of kensington neighbor hood in philadelphia.

This morning, a 7-alarm fire consumed an abandoned warehouse in our Kensington neighborhood in Philadelphia. The Simple Way Community Center at 3200 Potter Street was destroyed as well as at least eight of our neighbors’ homes. Over 100 people were evacuated from their homes, and 400 families are currently without power. Despite this developing tragedy, we are incredibly thankful to share that all of our community members and every one of our neighbors is safely out of harm’s way.

This fire will forever change the fabric of our community. Eight families are currently homeless, and in many cases have lost their vehicles as well as their homes. One of our neighbors, the Mahaias Family, lost their three cars as well as the equipment one family member uses for her massage therapy business. Teenager Brian Mahaias is devastated not because he has lost his belongings, but because he fears that this fire will force him to move away from this neighborhood that is his family as well as his home.

The Simple Way has lost a community center that was home to our Yes! And… afterschool program, community arts center, and Cottage Printworks t-shirt micro-business as well as to two of our community members. Community members Shane Claiborne and Jesce Walz have lost all of their belongings, Yes! And…’s after school studio and library were ruined, and community member Justin Donner’s Cottage Printworks equipment and t-shirts were destroyed.

a 7 alarm fire is big and tough to handle with the row home neighborhoods in philly. my feelings come from being a firefighter across the river in nj (which had some row homes) but mostly i grew up watching these incidents a number of times over the years and hearing of the people displaced.

this one hits me a little harder as i have a passion for the mission of the simple way. i appreciate what the people of the simple way stand for. i will be helping support the simple way, i'd encourage everyone to check out the simple way, you will have a hard time not finding a reason to feel for their situation and

We have established an emergency relief fund, not just for the simple way, but for those in the neighborhood who lost their homes. You can contribute by either sending checks to the simple way at PO Box 14751 Philadelphia, PA 19134...

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[DogBlogger]

Billy Reeder has donation info and pics over on his 7Villages site:
www.7villages.com/billy