Help Marie & Ron Hussey Recover After Fire

Marie & Ron Hussey’s House Fire

Update and Go Fund Me information

As many of already know, Marie & Ron Hussey had a house fire on Friday night (Apr. 26). They and their dog Apache are all fine, but the house has extensive damage which will take 8 or more months to repair. All clothing and even medications/prescriptions were not salvageable and need to be replaced. (*Read the final paragraph if you don’t know Marie & Ron).

Until they meet with the insurance company, there are more questions than answers. For right now, they are staying with their son Josh and family for a few days while they gather information and sort out their options. I spoke with Marie this weekend and realized that they are having to spend out-of-pocket to purchase necessary clothing items and refill medications, and that’s just the beginning of the unknown expenses.

I know there are SO MANY people who would like to help them through this difficult time. Marie was specific that in these early days they don’t want clothing donations or household items (no place to put things) but would rather have the flexibility to purchase what they need as they need it without worrying too much about the cost, and until they have a better understanding of their insurance coverage. Towards that end I’ve started a Go Fund Me campaign with a short-term goal of raising about $3,000 to help with these immediate out of pocket costs. That goal can be modified as more information is available.

For those of you unfamiliar with Go Fund Me, donating is easy and there are generally no tax implications to the donor or the recipient, as donations are considered “gifts”. Donations can be public or anonymous as the donor prefers. Go Fund Me charges a modest fee of 2.90% plus $.30 per donation which is deducted from the amount donated. For instance, the recipient would receive $23.97 for a $25 donation; $48.25 for a $50 donation; $96.80 for a $100 donation etc. The Go Fund Me site will try to encourage a “tip” to the company for providing this service, but this is only optional and not at all necessary. If you are looking for a way to help immediately, please consider donating and/or share this post.

If you don’t know Marie & Ron, they are long-term contributing residents of Greenland. Marie was a long-time postal delivery person in Greenland, and is the person behind bringing the Greenland Community Parish House back to life by decluttering, cleaning, painting, decorating etc. and inviting community members to use the space to share their talents, hobbies and interests with others. Ron was an active Greenland Volunteer Fire Fighter and later Fire Chief for many years. They are good people who can use a hand right now. Thank you for whatever help you can provide.