After fire, displaced residents grateful for donations that still made Christmas merry

After fire, displaced residents grateful for donations

A fire took their home three days before Christmas, but thanks to an overwhelming outpouring of giving, Natasha Horton, her husband and three children felt blessed.

"This is incredible," Horton said Friday afternoon as she gestured around the Liberty Theatre, where clothes and other donated items were piled in the lobby and a festive crowd ate and mingled in the adjacent room. "It just feels so good to see so many people come together and pull together in a time of need like this. Thank you, Jesus. I'm so grateful. God is good."

At least 39 residents were displaced by Tuesday's fire on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard when 24 units in the Boulevard Apartments were destroyed by fire.

Since then, the Red Cross has been accepting monetary donations to help the residents and gave them gift cards to stay in local hotels so they have time to find permanent housing. Other organizations have been collecting food and items for the families.

The Urban League of Greater Columbus is serving as the point of contact for those interested in learning what donations are needed and where to take them. Organizations accepting donations include the Valley Rescue Mission, the Liberty Theatre and the Red Cross. Davis Broadcasting and iHeartMedia also have helped the cause, as well as churches, fraternities and sororities.

"This is just the true meaning of Christmas," said Shae Anderson, Liberty Theatre executive director. "It's really what it's all about. It's bigger than the gifts and the shopping. It's about making a difference in people's lives, and I can't imagine losing my home, let alone a couple days before Christmas. So we just wanted to make sure this day was special for them."

It was. Just ask Horton, who was relieved her children, ages 15, 12 and 11, received Christmas presents in their hotel room.

"Oh, my God, they got so much stuff," she said. "We could barely walk through our room."

Horton and her husband are unemployed. She takes care of their disabled daughter, and he is on disability. Asked how she has kept a positive attitude despite her circumstances, she said, "You've got to stay strong, especially for your kids and to help the other families."

Anderson emphasized that the Liberty is committed to helping these families beyond the holiday.

"We'll keep checking on them in the weeks and months to come to make sure they are OK and they have what they need," she said.

Anderson acknowledged more than the 39 displaced residents were in line for the free meal. But it was part of the Christmas spirit.

"We opened it up to anyone because we got so many donations," said Anderson, who estimated 50-75 volunteers made the event possible.

Mark Rice, 706-576-6272. Follow him on Twitter@MarkRiceLE.

This story was originally published December 25, 2015 at 7:19 PM with the headline "After fire, displaced residents grateful for donations that still made Christmas merry ."