September 07, 2024
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Donations needed to help 10 families impacted by DeKalb apartment fire

Donations can be dropped off between 9 a.m., and 2 p.m., Friday at DeKalb Public Library, 309 Oak St.

By Kelsey Rettke
Neighbors and residents gather outside a corner at Kimberly Drive and Normal Road in front of a building while crews work to battle a structure fire at a Husky Ridge apartment complex in the 800 block of Kimberly Drive, DeKalb, on Wednesday evening, May 29, 2024.

Neighbors and residents gather outside a corner at Kimberly Drive and Normal Road in front of a building while crews work to battle a structure fire at a Husky Ridge apartment complex in the 800 block of Kimberly Drive, DeKalb, on Wednesday evening, May 29, 2024. (Kelsey Rettke)

DeKALB – The Family Service Agency and other DeKalb County nonprofits are collecting donations – shelf-stable food, clothing, pet supplies and hygiene products – for 10 families who lost everything in an apartment fire Wednesday.

A donation and collection event is scheduled Friday morning in the downstairs Yusunas Room at the DeKalb Public Library, 309 Oak St. Those looking to drop off donations may do so between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Friday. Families who were displaced in the fire at Husky Ridge Apartments, 809 Kimberly Drive, have been contacted and will be on hand starting at 10 a.m. Friday to receive donations.

[ Read more: Almost 4 dozen displaced in DeKalb Husky Ridge apartments fire ]

Rylie Loucks-Kues, director of community programming and outreach at the Family Service Agency, said anything helps. Think of what you have in your house and then remember those families have lost everything in theirs, she said.

“A lot of the units in the apartment were condemned, and it seems like everything was a total loss,” Louks-Kues said Thursday. “Children’s clothing, stuff for babies – there are at least two newborns – and then quite a few animals, so pet supplies are appreciated.”

Welcome donations include cash donations, gift cards (”to literally anywhere,” Loucks-Kues said), personal hygiene products, toys, shelf-stable food items, clothes and more.

Other agencies also will be on hand Friday to provide relief aid to families in need, including the American Red Cross; the city of DeKalb; DeKalb School District 428 with self-care and hygiene kits; Safe Passage Inc. with clothing, food and linens; DeKalb Township with gift cards and financial assistance; and Family Service Agency with thrift shop vouchers, gift cards, resources for temporary or replacement housing and more.

Those who would like to donate are invited to drop off items Friday at the library. They also can call or email Loucks-Kues at rlouckskues@fsadekalbcounty.org or call 815-758-8616, ext. 1200.

[ Photos: Multiple agencies respond to DeKalb apartment fire ]

DeKalb Mayor Cohen Barnes said it’s crises like these that showcase how DeKalb organizations work together for residents in need. Losing one’s home can be monumental, he said.

“There’s a lot of community support that’s coming out to make sure they’re going to have what they need,” Barnes said. “Our nonprofits that we have in the city of DeKalb as well as government agencies that we have coordinate together all the time. When an event like last night happens and impacts a significant amount of people, those relationships come into play.”

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