Stand with Kandic Family in Their Time of Need

In the early morning hours of 5/20, Sasha, Jasna, and Nikola Kandic were sleeping in their newly renovated and remodeled home. They were unexpectedly woken by a loud sound. Investigating the sound, they found their home had been struck by a vehicle that was quickly engulfed in fire. They had no choice but to exit their home immediately, leaving them with only what was on their backs and each other.

They had spent the prior three years building their family home piece by piece. The home was purchased as a labor of love, seeking out the "American Dream". The family spent their free time, love, and energy building and creating their future. They had been looking so forward to putting the finishing touches on several rooms, placing furniture, and truly beginning to enjoy their home.

Unfortunately, the impact of the vehicle into their home destroyed essentially everything. Their son Nikola, age 3, lost his newly completed bedroom full of toys. Sasha’s work was compromised when the vehicle that would eventually strike their home passed under his work truck, rendering it unusable.

Sasha and Jasna immigrated from Serbia approximately ten years ago and have lived in the Holyoke area since 2020. As they settled into the community, they had begun socializing at the parks with Nikola.

As we all know, small communities take care of their own. Please consider helping the Kandic family regroup and rebuild.

Monetary donations as well as physical donations are being accepted. Sasha and Yasna plan to rebuild their home and absolutely every tool was destroyed in the fire. If you have tools to donate, Home Depot gift cards (Yasna says they know the family quite well here), or other construction material, the family will happily accept anything to help them rebuild their home and life.

Sasha, the sole provider for their family, is unable to work until his truck is repaired.

On a very personal note, I've never met such a humble family. When speaking with Yasna, she stated multiple times: "We've started from zero multiple times, we'll be fine". She explained how they moved to America with just a small suitcase.

She also explained that the worldly possessions do not matter to them. They have each other and their health. Her sadness lies within the loss of their passion, their energy, and the love they have put into their home. They were so excited to see the finishing touches placed on their home... and now they will never know how it would have come together.