My name is Andrew. I’m a father of two teenage boys, a carpenter, and a musician. Last Sunday morning, my apartment building caught fire on the floor above me. Though my unit did not burn, it was flooded in the effort to stop the blaze. I made it back to town in time to grab what I could think to grab in the very small window of time I had to rescue my belongings. The following night the building was ransacked, and I then lost about a thousand dollars worth of electronics and recording equipment. My bed, sofa, and other luxuries were sacrificed to the initial incident.

I don’t want to have a hand out, expecting money to fall into it. But if I can’t lean on my community, where can any of us lean, I suppose? I am only hoping to raise enough to cover the cost of moving, temporary storage, and the necessary time away from work to deal with the logistics of this situation.

Thank you for your help, for your understanding, and for your shoulders.

Perhaps we can raise enough to help finance the new beginning, and replace what was in the change jar that was carried off by the vultures who rummaged through the ashes of our burned and soaking homes.