… a four-alarm fire destroyed an entire apartment building at Pine Ridge Estates in Townsend. Nearly fifty residents in 21 apartments were displaced by the fire and lost all of their possessions with the exception of a few mementos that were retrieved after the fire. Most of the residents and their pets spent that night in the temporary shelter at St. John’s Church. The next day, with efforts led by the Townsend Ecumenical Outreach and Townsend Emergency Management with the support of Townsend Emergency Management,  a resource center was established to assess the needs of the resident.  A team of community volunteers began working to meet the families’ most immediate needs for food, shelter, clothing, and medical care. With unbelievable generosity the people of Townsend - individuals, businesses, churches, and community organizations - are coming together to support these families. Together we determined that we will stay with them until they have enough clothing, are settled into permanent housing, and have all the furniture and appliances they need. We are determined to keep in touch with these folks through the year ahead to make sure that their needs are met, and that they can have something extra on the holidays.

Although this is a very ambitious goal, we believe that our community has the strength and commitment to see it through!

​