Jane Hobson, Centretown News
Singer Tara Don performs to raise money for businesses affected by the Somerset Street fire.Since the devastating Oct. 21 fire that destroyed the building that houses popular Centretown coffeehouse, The Daily Grind, members of the community have rallied to support the businesses and residents affected by the damage.
The blaze started around 11 a.m. and continued for several hours before fire fighters were able to put it out.
The fire consumed several residential apartments and four businesses, including The Daily Grind, Shiraz Market, Middle East Bakery and the adjoining tattoo parlour, A Dark Cloud.
“The fire marshal’s report was done at the end of the day and determined that the handyman the landlord called to fix the roof had started the fire,” says Daily Grind co-owner, Mike White.
Several members of the community have started fundraising initiatives to help their neighbours in need.
Fellow Somerset shop owner, Ron Couchman, is among those who started GoFundMe pages online the day of the fire to begin assisting the victims in their attempts to relocate and rebuild their lives.
So far, his page has raised pledges of more than $4,300, and seven bags of clothing have been donated to the victims at Couchman’s business, Clear Sky Vapes.
Vicki Laninga, a tenant in one of the destroyed apartments, says she was shocked at the level of community involvement in supporting those who lost homes and jobs in the fire.
“I never expected to receive the community support that I have in the wake of the incident,” says Laninga.
“Every day someone who has never met me offers to help me in whatever capacity they can manage, or I hear about a new fundraiser to help us rebuild.”
As well as the online support, Ottawa multimedia company, Broken Limb, is hosted a benefit night at neighbouring nightclub Babylon on Nov. 5.
Organizers of the event took donations of money and clothing, and drew crowds in with local Ottawa comedians and DJs. All proceeds from the event are going to the business owners and residents reeling from the fire.
“We’ve been in contact with everyone who’s started fundraising initiatives,” says White. “We’ve attended all of them so far, plus our employees have been quite involved in organizing this one at Babylon, and yet another is being organized currently for sometime in the future.”
With the amount of financial support, Laninga and the other victims are truly looking at the community’s support as a turning point for their situation.
“I think that in the time that follows, the most important thing that community members could do for us is to remember what happened after the story stops being newsworthy,” says Laninga. “Every single business we lost was a staple to our neighbourhood, and my biggest hope is that they can someday rebuild what they lost.”