Melissa Taylor

​Hi everyone, my name is Melissa. I’m organizing this fundraiser alongside my partner, James, for his 83-year-old grandfather, Roy. ​Right now, our family is trying to pick up the pieces after a massive fire completely destroyed their family shop and all of the inventory. There was no insurance, and overnight, Roy's entire livelihood was turned to ashes. ​If you look at the pictures, you can see the toll this is taking. "Pop" is an absolute workhorse. Ten years ago, he survived a heart attack and a triple bypass surgery. Most people would have retired, but not Pop. At 83, he still wakes up at 6:00 AM every single day to keep up his garden and do his morning chores. By 9:30 AM, he’s picking up pallets, and he heads straight to the shop where he works until 9:00 PM every night. ​He has spent his whole life working tirelessly just to stay above water. Just two weeks ago, after years of struggling, Roy finally paid off his $8,000 credit card. Today, looking at the ashes of his shop, he told us he might have to max it out all over again just to pay for the dumpsters and cleanup. He is old, he is tired, and seeing everything he built completely destroyed has pushed him to the edge. We cannot let an 83-year-old man go back into massive debt just to clear the wreckage of a disaster he couldn't control. ​We just welcomed a newborn into our blended family—making it our 4th and James has had to put his own job on hold just so he can physically be there to help his grandfather pull burnt doors, metal, and debris out of the wreckage. Without James, the cleanup stops, and Roy has no one else to help him move these heavy materials. We are down to our last few dollars, and the regular bills are going to start coming in while they have zero income. ​Every single dollar raised will go directly to helping Roy survive this. The funds will be used for: ​Renting dumpsters and equipment to clear the hazardous, burnt debris. ​Leveling the ground to give them a clean slate. ​Covering his daily living expenses and bills so he doesn't lose anything else. ​Getting a secure structure and fencing back up so he can safely operate again. ​If you can spare anything to help an 83-year-old man who has never stopped working a day in his life, it would mean the world to us. If you can't donate, please share this with your friends and community. Thank you for your kindness and support. Local News & Fire Coverage For those outside of our local community who want to understand the true scale of what Pop is facing, here is the news coverage of the fire and the massive response required to put it out. It was a multi-business, catastrophic loss. ​WFLA Channel 8 Aerial Coverage: https://www.wfla.com/news/hillsborough-county/live-hillsborough-county-fire-spotted-on-wfla-tower-camera/ ​Fox 13 News Coverage: https://www.fox13news.com/news/fire-erupts-commercial-property-hillsborough-county-shuts-down-south-50th-street