Published in the February 15, 2017 edition
By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — Last month, the Lynnfield community came together to help a second grade METCO student whose family lost all of their possessions in a fire.
According to the Huckleberry Hill PTO Facebook page, the second grader and his family “lost their home and all their belongings to a fire,” but fortunately made it out of the home safely. The family has since found a new home.
The boy’s teacher, Ariana Shapiro, informed the Villager in an email that Huckleberry Hill and Lynnfield families donated “countless items” for the family at the school. She said people even dropped off items at the family’s new home in Boston.
“The support from the Huckleberry Hill School staff, PTO, families and overall Lynnfield community has been incredible,” said Shapiro. “We have received a tremendous amount of donations to help this family get back on their feet. It has honestly made me feel so lucky to be apart of this community because it goes to show that if you are ever in need of support, the entire community will rally together to pull you out of a hard time.”
Shapiro said she was pleased to report “the family is comfortably settled in and have enough to get them back on their feet.”
“The family cannot thank everyone enough for all of the donations and generosity,” said Shapiro.
Despite losing all of his belongings in the fire, Shapiro said the community’s generosity helped lift the boy’s spirits during an incredibly difficult time.
“This student, although having faced a devastating loss, came to school each day with a smile on his face, feeling so excited to see the piles of donations in the lobby and feel the love and support that the community was showing him,” said Shapiro.
