Last week, a fire destroyed a trailer in Bethel where five tenants were living. We heard from one of them on the day of the accident. At that time, he’d lost all his possessions and didn’t know where he was going to sleep that night. KYUK checked in on him and reports how the community helped him stay on his feet.
If you shop in Bethel, then you probably know this tenant. Jeremy Lee, age 31, works as a cashier at Swanson’s Grocery. When people heard that he needed help, they dug into their wallets and their closets.
“People reached out to me who I didn’t even know," he said. "But they knew me from work here.”
After the fire, all Lee had were the clothes on his back, saying everything that he owned burned in the blaze. That night, he contacted a former employer and told them the situation. The employer offered him a place to sleep that night, saying he could stay rent-free through the end of the month. Also that night, he set up a Facebook fundraiser with a goal of $1,500. By the next day, it had exceeded that amount.
“That’s due to a lot of friends and family sharing the post on Facebook, getting it out there,” Lee explained.
Also that next day, clothes started arriving.
“A lot of people reached out, saying, ‘Hey, what size are you? What size clothes do you wear or shoes?’” he remembered.
He received a voucher from Orutsararmiut Native Council, and Veterns of Foreign Wars set up a charge at Swanson's, which he used to buy basics like socks. Lee says that a week after the fire, he has more and nicer clothes than he did before the accident.
“I’m set for this winter," he said, laughing. "Thank god.”
Lee has been homeless in Bethel before, spending months at the Bethel Winter House, but that service is closed this time of year. The day of the fire, Lee had two immediate concerns, where to sleep and how to stay warm. The support from the community meant that he didn’t have to worry long.
“I didn’t expect the help that I got right away, so soon, so fast. It made me feel more secure as a resident here in Bethel," he said. "I just want to share that with others who go through this in the future, that don’t be shy or scared to reach out. I’m very thankful to everyone who helped me get to where I am today, since the fire.”
Lee also lost an acoustic guitar in the fire; three were donated to take its place. That means that Lee will continue playing music Friday mornings on Coffee@KYUK.
