Thank You for Your Incredible Support!

Late Friday night, a devastating fire tore through Olympia Place in Amherst, MA, displacing 235 residents, most of them UMass Amherst students who suddenly lost their homes, belongings, and sense of stability. In just hours, hundreds of students found themselves without essentials like clothing, bedding, food, and household items.

In the wake of this tragedy, the Amherst community responded with extraordinary compassion. Your generosity, kindness, and willingness to act quickly have made a real difference for those impacted.

Since launching this GoFundMe, we have been in contact with UMass officials to identify the best way to ensure every dollar helps the affected students as effectively and efficiently as possible. The university has now activated its official relief pathway through the Student Care & Emergency Response Fund (SCERF), which is directly supporting Olympia Place residents. To expedite aid, UMass has temporarily suspended the usual grant process, and 100% of contributions to SCERF will go directly to displaced students, with distribution coordinated by the Dean of Students Office.

Because of this, I will be closing this GoFundMe and directing all future donors to the official UMass effort, which is now the fastest and most centralized way to support the students who need it.

How You Can Continue to Help:

Financial Support: Please consider donating to the Student Care & Emergency Response Fund (SCERF).

Material Donations: UMass is collecting clothing, kitchenware, school supplies, and other essentials. These can be dropped off at New2U (Southwest Concourse, 2nd floor of Hampden, across from the Hampden Art Gallery), where volunteers are processing and distributing donations.

Food Donations: Accepted through November 18 at 10 locations across campus and delivered to the campus food pantry.

Volunteering: New2U is seeking volunteers to help sort and staff distribution efforts.

While this GoFundMe will not be collecting further donations, every dollar you have already given here will still be used to assist Olympia Place residents. I am currently coordinating with the university to ensure the funds raised through this page are delivered in the most effective way possible. An update will be posted as soon as that process is finalized.

Thank you again, truly, for stepping up for these students in their time of need. Your generosity embodies the very best of the Amherst and UMass communities.

Together, we are helping our neighbors recover and rebuild.

New2U: https://tinyurl.com/tttcark9

Food Drive: https://tinyurl.com/2xymsdy6

SCERF: https://tinyurl.com/4zsbaff6