OCEAN CITY – Mayor Jay Gillian offered his thanks for the support for families displaced in a fire at 932 Simpson Ave. on Jan. 27.
Ocean City firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze just after noon that day, with mutual assistance from Marmora and Margate fire companies and Upper Township Rescue.
“Multiple families and individuals lost their home,” Gillian wrote in his weekly letter to the community. “Being displaced in the heart of winter could have been a greater tragedy, but I’m exceptionally proud of how our community and our neighbors have come together to help house, clothe and feed all of those who were affected.”
Ocean City Emergency Management Coordinator Frank Donato, Social Services Director Samantha Kurtz-Seif, and El Pueblo Unido of Atlantic City have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to help provide these families with resources and support, Gillian wrote. The city, St. Peter’s United Methodist Church, St. Damien Parish, Ocean City PBA Local 61 and OCNJ CARE have all generously pitched in to pay for shelter at Watson’s Regency Hotel, he added.
The mayor said the Ocean City Ecumenical Council Clothes Closet opened to allow the families to pick out clothing, and Ocean City School District ESL teacher Ashley Schmid collected clothing for the students affected by the fire. “Raymond Royster of the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, Pastor Lou Strugala of Galloway Township’s Church by the Bay, Susan Long of Angels in Motion, Kate Curry of Sister Jean’s Clothes Closet, and Ocean City neighbors also made essential donations of clothing and personal care products,” Gillian wrote.
“Ocean City’s Sally Onesty, who has helped so many in our community in so many ways, has provided and organized donations of hot meals prepared by many others in town. Sgt. Chris Vivarelli of our Community Policing Unit spearheaded an effort by the PBA to prepare more meals. Evan Sanchez of Authentic City Partners, AtlantiCare, Dona Mary’s Place in Ocean City, and Goochie Brothers in Brigantine also donated meals,” the mayor wrote.
The American Red Cross was able to provide immediate assistance with debit cards. The Rev. Kathleen Crockford of St. Peter’s, Onesty, and the school district have collected gift cards, and a GoFundMe page organized by El Pueblo Unido had already raised more than $12,000 shortly after the fire.
“I want to thank everybody who assisted in this remarkable community response. Times like these show what we’re truly all about,” Gillian wrote.
Anybody who would like more information on how to help further can contact Samantha Kurtz-Seif at SKurtz-Seif@ocnj.us or (609) 525-9288.
