“When Robyn said that all of her family’s lifelong possessions fit in the back of a van, it nearly brought me to tears,” said Karen Andrews about the August 7 house fire that damaged the Pinnacle Road home of Joe and Robyn Zajac and their two children, second-grader Abigail and sixth-grader Sam. That concern for the family led her to spearhead an effort to help the family meet the needs their renter’s insurance will not.
Within days, Andrews sent out an email to parents of second-graders to inform them of the Zajacs’ loss and rally families to help out.
Neighbor Debra Vanderwerf picked up all of the family’s photo albums the day after the fire. She distributed them to other neighbors who painstakingly picked through the soggy, singed photos, dried them, and placed them into new albums.
Andrews and Vijaya MacLean also found a website, lotsahelpinghands.com, to help organize volunteer efforts. The website helps coordinate volunteer efforts when an illness or family crisis necessitates assistance. So far the site has helped to collect toys, furniture, and even gift cards to help the family get back on its feet. It will also help with scheduling meals for the family.
The Zajacs are currently staying out of town, but will return to Harvard for the beginning of the school year. For additional information about helping out, email zajacfire@yahoo.com.
Fire Chief Bob Mignard said this week that the flames began in the home office and that whereas the office suffered water damage, the remainder of the home’s damage was caused by smoke. The state fire marshal’s investigation concluded that the cause of the fire was accidental and “most probably an electrical event.”
