Hello everyone,

We are the Gallo-Quinones family, and we truly appreciate you taking the time to read our story.

On the night of March 7th, our lives changed suddenly when a house fire broke out in the basement of our family home. By the grace of God and thanks to the safety education our children received through volunteers working with HCPS, our daughter Allison acted quickly and courageously to get everyone out safely. Because of her, we are all here today.

While we are incredibly grateful that no one was hurt, the aftermath has been overwhelming.

After waiting through the weekend to file a claim and an additional week for an insurance adjuster to inspect our home, we held onto hope that repairs would begin quickly and we could return to some sense of normalcy. Unfortunately, that has not been the case.

We are still displaced, and it may take weeks before our home is safe to live in again. To make matters more difficult, we recently learned that the insurance policy we were advised to carry does not cover temporary housing or the replacement of personal belongings. This means we are navigating this crisis on our own—while still paying our mortgage, searching for a place to stay, and trying to replace basic necessities like clothing.

We have done everything we can ourselves—cleaning and salvaging what remains—but much of the damage requires professional restoration. Right now, we are in a difficult waiting period, relying on patience, resilience, and faith.

We are a first-generation American family of five, along with our pets, doing our best to stay afloat during this incredibly challenging time. The mother of our household serves our community by transporting children with special needs through Harrisonburg City Transportation, and the father works long hours at a local poultry plant helping provide food for families like yours and ours. Our children are hardworking and committed to their education, and we are doing everything we can to keep life as stable as possible for them.

If you are able to donate or share resources to help us during this time, we would be deeply grateful. Any support—no matter how small—will go directly toward helping our family secure temporary housing and rebuild what we have lost.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your kindness, generosity, and support.

With gratitude,

The Gallo-Quinones Family