A Place to Turn, A Place to Give

When a major house fire on Gildersleeve Avenue displaced several people last October, an overwhelming number of residents wanted to help.

“Incredible,” is how Senior/Social Services Coordinator Claire Cote describes that response.

So the town decided to coordinate the effort and provide a central location, the town’s community center, where people could donate items.

“The reason we started a collection for the fire on Gildersleeve Avenue is because so many people were calling, looking to help out,” Cote said.

And some professionals even stepped up and offered free services, such as counseling or financial advice.

This month the department has found itself stepping into that role twice after fires that occurred exactly two weeks apart – both on Tuesdays.

And now the department is coordinating a drive for the most recent family displaced by fire, residents of 6 Bristol Drive. Their house was badly damaged by fire and smoke Feb. 22.

And while the events leading up to them are troubling, Cote said she is glad the town is able to coordinate the efforts.

“It’s nice to be able to at least have a place where people can feel comfortable sending donations,” she said.

People are welcome to donate clothing, money and gift cards for the family, which includes a pregnant woman, a man, and two girls, ages 4 and 14. The family especially needs size 4T girls seasonal clothing, such as long-sleeved shirts and long pants.  

Residents are encouraged to call the department before dropping off the items at 860-693-5811, Ext. 165.

Cote said she can give people more details, such as clothing size and most-needed items. The town and family also do not have the capacity and room to accept most larger items.

But if people have clothes and other items that won’t work for this family, Cote can often find a place where they are needed.

“If it’s something they can’t use I always direct the donation to other organizations that need it,” she said.

Cote said families often need much in a crisis, including items people don’t always think of – such as toiletries or medicine.

Gift cards to places like Shop Rite, Kohl’s, CVS, and Wal-Mart are always useful, she added.

“When you are completely displaced, the immediate needs are most important,” she said.

Social Services can also help residents with other needs, whether it be advice, contact with other agencies such as the Red Cross, professionals such as doctors or social service clubs like the Lions Club, which can help with eyeglass needs.

No significant human injuries were reported in the incidents, but on Gildersleeve, some pets were lost. And in all cases, people lost possessions, a place to stay, and irreplaceable keepsakes. Homeowners also have to deal with financial challenges, emotions, insurance companies, logistics of repairing or rebuilding, and numerous other factors. 

Cote said the feelings of “displacement and loss” can be overwhelming.

“Those feelings are really huge in those situations,” she said. “Everyone copes really differently. It’s important to keep in mind this could happen to anyone in the blink of an eye.” 

And Liz Legere, whose family was displaced by the Feb. 8 fire on East Hill, said people’s generosity helped ease the anxiety. 

"When we were displaced due to the fire and we realized we lost everything, we were completely heartbroken,” Legere said. "The people of our community stepped up and made sure that our basic needs were met. The generosity and compassion shown by the Canton community have helped us to be able to worry about what really matters – our family. I have never felt so helpless as I did when I realized that all was lost, but that feeling didn’t last long, thanks to our Canton 'family.'”

Legere said the donations especially helped her young son. 

"Our son is able to cope with what to a four-year-old is a devastating loss (of all his beloved toys) because people came forward to help him,” she said. “There was a time when we actually thought about moving out of Canton, but we could never think of that now. I can’t imagine any other town helping out the way our town did. This community truly took a lot of the stress and burden away from us and made a terribly devastating situation as bearable as it could be. Thank you, Canton!”