Donations come from across Canada for Manitoba farmhouse fire victims
Donations are being mailed in from coast to coast to help the Manitoba family that lost four sons in a house fire this week.
The contributions will help the Froese family with funeral costs and rebuilding their lives.
“Donations are coming from] as far away as Edmonton and there was a professor from Carleton University that contacted us, so it's going fairly widespread," said Brian Thiessen, who heads the charitable group, Donate Love, which is collecting non-perishable food items and clothing.
"All of the items can be always replaced, it's unfortunate that the lives lost can’t be.”
Thiessen said the support is inspiring.
"Everybody that we talk to, [they] really don't even have words to say, just 'how can we help?' is the first thing that comes to their mind," he said. "It's nice to see a glimmer of hope for humanity and it sounds dramatic but it really is that.”
From the Donate Love website
For those wanting to help the Froese family financially, here are the ways to give:
Access Credit Union in Lowe Farm, MB, has set up an account for donations to help the family. Donations are being accepted at any branch of the Access Credit Union.
Website with more information is here.
Cheques for the “Kane Fire Victims” account should be made out to Access Credit Union. Receipts will be issued.
Donations can be mailed to:
Access Credit Union
Lowe Farm Branch
Box 265
Lowe Farm, MB
R0G 1E0
Donations can also be made out to the Sommerfelder Mennonite Church and they will issue you a receipt.
Sommerfelder Mennonite Church
Box 297
Lowe Farm, MB R0G 1E0
Donate Love is NOT accepting money on the family’s behalf. All donations must be made through Access Credit Union or Sommerfelder Church.
If you would like to drop off non perishables please do so during the day and evening to the Log Cabin, #10 Thornhill Street in Morden.
As for clothing and furniture. Please hold off on that for now. If it changes we will let you know. We have sent along clothing and some supper for the family already.
Please keep this family in your thoughts and hug your children tightly. Much love to everyone.
Boys trapped upstairs
The fire was discovered shortly after 12 a.m. Wednesday at the Froese home in the tiny south-central Manitoba community of Kane.
The family's eldest son, Steven, 18, arrived home from work with his father, Jacob Froese, just after 12 a.m. Wednesday to see the house ablaze.
Steven had called his mother, Doralee Eberhardt, a few minutes earlier to say they were hungry and wondered if she might prepare something for them.
Extended family members told CBC News they that phone call woke up Eberhardt, and she was able to get out of the house with the three youngest children — Susie, 8, Lisa, 5, and William, 2.
Four other children, brothers Bobby, 15, Timmy, 12, Danny, 10, and Henry, 9, were trapped in the second storey of the home and died.
Jacob Froese had tried in vain to enter the burning house but was pushed back by the heat and smoke. He then got a ladder but it melted from the heat.
Crowdfunding campaign
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign called "Help the Froese Family" has raised at just over $29,000 of its $50,000 goal as of Friday morning.
Tammy Peters, who started the campaign, has told CBC News she has known Jacob Froese and Doralee Eberhardt for about 18 years. Peters' three children also went to school with the boys who died in the fire.
"I started the fundraising page because I know that this family is going to be in need of financial help," she said Wednesday night.
"There's not much we can do for them emotionally — only time can fix that — but financially, I think we can all pull together as a community and help them with the burden that they're going to have in paying for funeral expenses for four children and rebuilding their lives, because they lost everything."
