As every young couple dreams, my good friends Ally and Travis moved into their first apartment together in Sunnyside, Queens. Unfortunately, a devastating fire broke out on their floor on December 20th, right before the holidays. Luckily, they were able to get out safely (with their cat, Spooky!), but they lost their first home with all their belongings.

The fire is believed to have started by a contractor who was using an unauthorized blow torch to heat lead paint on a metal closet door frame inside a vacant apartment. The fire quickly spread from the walls, to the area between the ceiling and the roof that ravaged through the building.

Since the fire was on their floor, smoke piled into their apartment faster than they thought possible. Travis is a teacher on winter break and Ally is a mental health counselor. She was mid-session with a patient when they had to corner Spooky and run out of their apartment without even time to grab a jacket or car keys.

Living with the stressors today of being a young adult are difficult enough such as student loans and health care costs. Ally and Travis are the most hard-working and responsible couple I know. They saved for years to move out and are now left with nothing but the clothes on their back.

They are so fortunate to have family that have taken them in, but are now back to square one. I hope that we all can come together to help this wonderful couple gain a sense of security again, after all their hard work was taken away from them so quickly.

It's hard to think about this kind of loss during Christmas time!!

All donations will go directly to helping them get back the necessities that they lost like clothes, toiletries, phones, laptops, etc.

Thank you for your generosity and kindness!