Help Karen Get Back on Her Feet After Tragic Fire

On the night of February 4th, 2023, an apartment building on Cape Cod, MA, was devastated by a terrible fire (link to news article ; also see images above). My mother, Karen Vail, was one of the survivors; she escaped with the clothes on her back, as her apartment filled with smoke. She and the other tenants of the building lost their homes and most of their possessions. Tragically, a young child from a neighboring family also lost his life in the fire. The building is now uninhabitable and my mother finds herself without secure housing (none of us in her small, close-knit family live close by), and with little financial assistance, or the post-disaster mental health counseling she needs. The event and its aftermath have been traumatizing and overwhelming.

Image above: What was left of her bedroom after the fire and rescue. Image below: the door to her apartment, which had been white, blackened by smoke from the fire.

Karen lives independently, and at age 65, has worked full-time at a quaint local bookshop for many years. She loves books, art, and nature, and is a loving and thoughtful sister, mother and grandmother.

Image above: Karen (far left) with her family in 2018.

She adores her job and the Cape. Cape Cod has been her home for 24 years, and as the case is for many there, the beach and its serene community have become an integral part of her identity and life. But finding affordable rentals on Cape Cod is next to impossible - apartments are expensive, few and far between, and house rentals average $3.6k/month. The apartment Karen lost was unusually affordable for the area; now that it's gone, so is the pre-inflation monthly rent cost. Even working full-time, she is concerned that she will have nowhere to go after this month (she is staying with a friend through the end of March). Starting from scratch in a new place, away from the place she loves, away from the work and community she loves, and into unemployment, financial instability and loss of independence would be yet another upheaval in what has already been a harrowing time.

We are hoping to raise whatever we can to help Karen afford first, last, security and the first few months in a secure home near her workplace and community, replace her bed and other furniture, and help her with the costs of counseling and other urgent essentials.

Many of us have experienced the generosity of strangers in times of disaster and loss. These terrible tragedies can hit any of us at any time, and we don’t always find a safety net under our feet. You can be a part of that safety net for Karen, and help her get back on her feet.

We thank you all, friends and kind strangers, from the bottom of our hearts, for your donations and assistance in this time of need.