Circle of care: Boxborough rallies to aid fire victims

Around dinnertime on the evening of Feb. 10, a four-alarm fire broke out at a condominium complex on Swanson Road in Boxborough, displacing 23 families. Many of those affected are still living at the Boxboro Regency hotel while some have taken up temporary residence with friends or family. Due to safety concerns, residents have been unable to fully take stock of their property and what, if any, is left of it.

The response from the Boxborough community was immediate and unrelenting, a response unlike even the Red Cross has seen before.

More:Boxborough Fire Chief recounts massive fire that displaced dozens

More:PHOTOS: Four-alarm fire rips through Swanson Road condo building in Boxborough

"The Red Cross said they have never seen a community come together so quickly and so efficiently to rally around the families," said Griet Dehandschutter, executive director of the Acton-Boxborough United Way.

A community fund was launched the night of the fire by Rev. Cindy Worthington-Berry, pastor of the UCC-Boxborough, the only official faith community in the town. Dehandschutter was then asked by Select Board chair Wes Fowlks to set up a second fund the day after the fire as another place to donate. Fowlks was at the hotel the night of the fire speaking to families with fellow board member Maria Neyland and organizing a meeting to bring together a task force of supporters.

More:A-B fund-raising efforts underway for those displaced by fire

This virtual task force includes the key people involved in the support such as the AB United Way, the Red Cross, officials from the town, school, police, and fire, as well as Worthington-Berry and Boxborough resident and community advocate Heather Fleming.

The town of Boxborough does not currently have a social worker and Worthington-Berry has quietly and unofficially assumed that role since September.

Dehandschutter, who says the United Way's role is to identify any gaps in the process and cast a broader net for resources, called the circumstances leading up to the fire  "perfect storm" of being in a pandemic and not having a town social worker. But when the fire happened, Worthington-Berry sprung into action.

"Cindy instantly took over the role as coordinator for the families," said Dehandschutter. "She is amazing."

Like everyone involved in the process of helping following the fire, Worthington-Berry seems to prefer highlighting the efforts of others as opposed to her own.

"I’m hoping people have told you about the advocate relationships, the “in kind” store, how the firefighters rescued the guinea pig and the fish, and how incredible Christina Phanord and folks at the Regency have been.  Hopefully you heard about the amazing manual Heather [Fleming] created to guide the advocates, how she and Becky Neville have been a support system at every level, and the incredible learning curve we’ve all been on," said Worthington-Berry in an email to the Beacon.

A circle of care

Dehandschutter said a "circle of care" was created following the fire which involved asking the families affected if they wanted a volunteer advocate to help them walk through the long process of dealing with the aftermath of such an event - from sorting through legal papers to housing to basic needs like food and clothing. These advocates are the listening ears for the families who support them directly and guide them to different resources available.

A second circle of care was also established that involved teams of volunteers helping with food and clothing donations. Dehandschutter said Fleming has been an essential part of outreach, organizing volunteers, and adding structure to all of it so those who want to help connect with those who need the help.

"I've been engaged in trying to coordinate this massive response from people who want to help and then trying to give that some kind of framework," said Fleming.

Fleming explains the volunteer effort as being comprised of different teams and team captains who take charge of the different areas, like food/meals, housing leads, transportation, and in-kind donations.

Over the weekend of Feb. 27-28, volunteers worked with Sargent Memorial Library director Peishan Bartley and library staff to create a sort of pop-up store in the library's community room.

Families affected by the fire were able to make an appointment to come in and browse through donations of clothing, homegoods, and toiletries. Plastic bins with lids were given to families to store their items to bring home or to be stored until they are more settled. Items that were not claimed will be stored at the UCC-Boxborough's community room until another pop-up store date is set.

Volunteers also worked with Roche Brothers in Acton to set up a mini farmers market outside the library that same weekend for families to shop for donated produce and deli meats.

"This is community outreach at its pinnacle," said Fleming. "It's phenomenal."

There was no play book of how to respond to a situation like the Swanson Road fire and so Fleming has been documenting every step of the process in the hope that other communities may also benefit from Boxborough's experience.

"It's important that people see the magnitude of volunteerism and the magnitude of generosity," said Fleming.

Ways to donate, volunteer

UCC Boxborough: Click here and click DONATE. Use the "Special Collections" option and put "Community Support Fund" in the memo line.  You can also mail a check made out to "UCCB" and mail to 723 Massachusetts Ave, Boxborough, MA 01719, with "Community Support Fund" in the memo line.

Acton-Boxborough United Way (ABUW) Fire Relief Fund: ABUW has established a fund to complement the efforts of UCC for those who are unable to donate through a religious institution. Click here to donate.

Boxborough Fire Relief Fund: Click here for monetary donations, goods donations or to volunteer; email questions to BoxboroughFireRelief@gmail.com.

GoFundMe for Boxborough Fire Relief: Click here to donate to the fundraising effort organized by Acton third-grader Abhijay Potluri.

Gift card donations: Enterprise Bank in Acton (corner of Rte 27 and 2A) has a secure drop off box is right next to the front door. Please put gift cards in a closed envelope addressed to "Boxborough Fire Relief". They will be collected regularly and distributed to those in need; Middlesex Savings Bank branches in Boxborough and West Acton accepts in-person drop off of gift cards during office hours.