Communities rally to aid Marshall fire victims
LAFAYETTE — Help for those affected by the Marshall fire arrived in Lafayette by noon Friday as people from as far away as Castle Rock drove water and supplies to the Sister Carmen Community Center.
“We saw what was going on and banded together to get something going,” said Eric Hinkson of Castle Rock. “We’re the Dads of Castle Rock community outreach group.”
Group member Marc Coltman loaded his truck with cases of water and drove it to the community center, while other members brought food, diapers, dog food, clothes and water.
“We put out a call for supplies on our Facebook page, and the response was unbelievable. We had to turn people away,” said Coltman, who is also a firefighter with the Franktown Fire Department.
“There was a nonstop line of cars at the Sam’s Club this morning — the entire community rallied,” Hinkson said.
Community center CEO Suzanne Crawford said the building was closed this week, but employees started calling and asked to reopen it as a resource for those impacted by the fire.
“We’re the family resource center that services Lafayette, Louisville, Superior and Erie, so the fire occurred in our service area. We’ve been closed for the holiday, but decided to reopen,” Crawford said. “What we’re primarily doing now is helping people figure out where they’re staying. If they can’t be in a shelter, or don’t have family nearby, we’re trying to find hotels or Airbnb. The problem is a lot of them around here are full.”
They also started collecting to-go food for those who lost kitchens. They’re allowing people to shop, for free, in the community center’s store for clothes and supplies.
Boulder County officials are working on opening a disaster assistance center, but haven’t found a good location, she said. It will likely open Monday or Tuesday.
“We’re currently collecting food, funds for hotels and Airbnbs, gift cards for food and clothing, and other necessities they lost in the fire,” Crawford said.
The center is at 655 Aspen Ridge Drive, and its number is 303-665-4342. Crawford asked people to check the Sister Carmen Community Center Facebook page for updates on needed donations.
