An online fundraiser is now set up for a family that lost all their possessions in an early morning house fire earlier this week that initially left little hope for Christmas for two young children.
But Amanda Beck said her family will have a Christmas thanks to the generosity of friends, family and people who care.
“We’re staying with my mother-in-law for now until we can get the money to find somewhere to go,” Beck said Friday. Beck’s husband, Jonathan, and their two children, 3-year-old Neveah and 2-year-old JJ, narrowly escaped their burning home early Tuesday morning.
Jonathan Beck woke to heavy smoke inside their Mitchell Ridge Road, Fall Branch, home and was forced to drop his kids out a two-story window before jumping out himself.
Christmas, Amanda Beck said, is “looking a lot better,” as the distance from the fire grows.
“We’ve had people donate some stuff. (The kids) are gonna have a Christmas,” she said. “People are donating toys and clothes. I’m really, really thankful for that.”
Amanda Beck’s cousin set up a donation fund at www.gofundme.com/5txmzg, and donations are already being deposited.
Beck said any donations will come in handy to help her family get back on their feet. Her husband and children are out of the hospital now and on the road to healing.
“They all got released from the hospital ... my daughter is going to be in a wheelchair for four to six weeks because she’s in a cast,” Amanda Beck said. “She’s irritable and she’s frustrated because she can’t do anything on her own, but they’re all finally home.”
“We are very thankful for all the help we’re getting. I want to thank everyone. We’re very grateful for everything everyone is doing for us,” Beck said.
In Limestone, another family that lost their home to fire just hours after the Beckses did is also recovering.
Tim and Katina Cloyd’s home at 149 Keebler Lane was destroyed in the Tuesday morning blaze. For now, the couple and their two boys are staying with family. No one was home at the time of the fire.
Katina’s mother, Linda Jaynes, said the Cloyds are trying to put their lives back together and the community is helping.
No specific fund has been set up for the Cloyds, she said, but their church can accept donations on their behalf.
Those donations can be sent to Fall Branch Church of Christ, P.O. Box 68, Fall Branch, TN 37656-0068. Correspondence should indicate the donation is for the Cloyds.
Jaynes said her daughter did salvage a few photos, a hat of her grandfather’s, her grandmother’s apron and the Bible she received when she was baptized at age 8.
“There’s other families that needs things, too. But to lose a home ... where do you start?” Jaynes said.