In November, elderly Mark Twain neighbor Barbra Pittman was awakened by an explosion in the garage of the home she had lived in for more than 50 years.
She got out of bed and tried to turn on her bedroom light, only to find that the power was out. By the time she grabbed a flashlight and woke her son, who was recovering from illness, smoke was enveloping the house. Before they knew it, flames were ripping through the kitchen and down the hallway.
They barely got out, grabbing their little dog on the way. Barbra’s son suffered some pretty nasty burns on his face as he dodged the flames to make his way to safety.
Within a day or two, the Mark Twain Neighborhood Association’s board members got word of the fire and started discussing how we could assist in our group text message. Seeing as Barbra’s home was just around the corner from mine, I proposed that I drop by and check in on them.
I pulled into the driveway of the nearly gutted house just as Barbra emerged from the dark doorway with an armful of blouses from her closet that she was hoping to clean and save. She was splotched with soot and I could see the exhaustion in her eyes. I explained to her who I was and that her neighbors wanted to lend a hand in whatever way we could.
I listened as she fought back tears, telling me how she had moved into the home as a newlywed in her 20s, raised her and her late husband’s kids there, and sent them to school across the street at Mark Twain Elementary. Now, she’s in her 80s and having to start over from scratch. Even their vehicles were destroyed by the explosion in the garage. Her son was still in the hospital to control infection from his burns, but she told me that family had been helping her sort through what remains of her home and her memories every single day since the fire.
I asked if we could start a fundraiser for her, and I asked her specifically what she needed until her insurance came through. I asked for permission to snap a couple of photos to make a post and call to action in our Facebook group.
I am so proud of the response from our neighborhood! We were able to raise several hundred dollars to help her cover immediate expenses, and a few neighbors offered to bring over gift cards for groceries and necessities. Some neighbors offered to bring food for the family as they worked to clear out the house.
Last I spoke to her, Barbara was still trying to decide if she wants to rebuild. She is safe and staying with family.
It’s a great thing to be involved with a neighborhood that cares, and I couldn’t be more proud of the people who stepped up to help this sweet lady in her time of need. I hope that we can work on building the number of people who want to be involved and become an army of help in future moments of crisis.
Good job, neighbors!