Help Meredith and Patricia Rebuild After Fire

As many of you know, Meredith and Patricia experienced a devastating house fire that destroyed their home and nearly everything they owned. Thankfully, everyone made it out safely, but the loss has left them heartbroken and facing an overwhelming road ahead.

From Meredith's Facebook post: "Our Friday the 13th started with finding a deer with a broken leg in our driveway. The poor thing ran away before the police officer who responded could help end his suffering. But that same cop was back at our house about five hours later, and when Patricia said, 'we're having a weird day,' he was like, 'yeah, you are.'"

At 1:14 pm, Patricia heard the sound of something falling, and then two explosions from the laundry room. She whisked the girls out of the house, sans shoes, to our next-door neighbor, who thankfully was home. The neighbor took the girls and gave Patricia her phone, and as she called 911, she saw that smoke was coming out from under the roof tiles and the storm door was completely black. But Phoebe kitty's little face was pressed against the glass, and P was able to get her out. Minutes later, the firefighters showed up from two different stations, and they heroically saved our house from being completely burned to the ground. The firefighters said P did exactly the right thing, that the fire was in the walls, likely caused by our electrical wiring, and there was nothing she could have done to extinguish it herself.

Everyone has said to us that the smoke damage is extensive, the water damage from the hoses is also not small, and it's likely 3-12 months that we will be out of the house as restoration work happens. Insurance, the Red Cross, and countless friends, neighbors, and family members have offered support and assistance. We are feeling quite held by our community and so grateful that no one was injured or lives lost. Everything else is just time and money.

Patricia has been working for weeks to prepare to lead two mission trips for youth across the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern VA the next two weeks, and she wants to be there to support our youth as they work alongside our neighbors in Wise County. The girls are being lovingly cared for by grandparents in Richmond, and I am staying with a dear friend and meeting with 'all the people' - insurance, restoration, etc. So many folks have asked how they can help - and to be honest, we are living one moment at a time. But your prayers are deeply appreciated."

So many people want to help in this time for these beloved members of our community. I've been given the green light to move this GoFundMe forward with permission from Meredith and Patricia. To quote Meredith, "it's just time and money." Well, let's help with money! We're rallying together to support them during this incredibly difficult time and help them begin this long journey.

This money will go towards: immediate needs, like clothes, baby materials, electronic replacements, and other day-to-day items. Temporary housing needs. It will also go to renovation costs if they max out the structural coverage allowance insurance has provided.

For those who want to help in other ways, a list has been created of immediate physical needs for the family. These include creating access to food, clothes, and toys for the children. If you are interested in purchasing a gift card these can be dropped off at the locked mailbox or mailed to:

Christ Episcopal Church

c/o Meredith and Patricia Cope-Levy

1101 Franklin Road SW

Roanoke, VA, 24016

Grocery Stores:

Aldi, Roanoke Co-Op

Restaurants:

Cava, Thai Continental, Nawab, Taaza, Taste of Asia, Chipotle, Beamer's 25

For the Kids (toys and books):

Mast General, Taget, Barnes and Noble

For the Kids (clothing):

Target Rufflebutts

Nordstrom

Meredith's Preferred Clothing:

Belk

Limited

Patricia's Preferred Clothing:

The Loft

The family feels like they enough toiletries and diapers, but gift cards to the following places would be useful:

Costco, Target, Kroger, Best Buy, Home Depot, Lowes

To donate a physical item, please contact us through the GoFundMe to arrange drop offs. Physical items include:

Toys:

Wooden or plush preferably. No plastic, please.

Books:

Marget Wise Brown, Little Blue Truck, Audrey and Don Wood, Todd Parr, board books, etc.

Clothing and Kids Sizes:

Summer- 9-12

Fall- 12-18 months

5T height/4T waist, loves dresses

Your love and support are so appreciated!

Edited for GoFundMe clarify: I, Susie Young, friend of Meredith and Patricia for 20 years, am organizing this fundraiser on their behalf and with their consent. The money will go directly to Meredith, listed as the beneficiary.