Early morning October 7, an electrical fire broke out in an apartment on Valley Street in Lewistown. It displaced eight families and a bunch of pets.

The main priority for the families right now is a place to live, including money for a security deposit or first/last months’ rent.

Scroll to bottom for updates on the needs of the victims

They may end up with some housing items as needs but, until a) they see what is salvageable and b) where they are living, that conversation will be one for a later date.

Financial aid will be the biggest help right now. With money they can secure a new place to live, wash their clothes at the laundromat, get food and hygiene supplies, etc…. In the weeks ahead they will have a better idea of the furniture and household items they need.

You can mail any financial contributions to First United Methodist Church, 200 East Third Street, Lewistown, Pa 17044. Make checks payable to the Matthew 25 Fund and put ‘Valley Street Fire’ in the memo.

We recently had Rev. Stephanie Rupert from Grace United Methodist Church on to give us even more info on the needs of our neighbors in their time of crisis:

For more stories of local interest, click here.

UPDATE (10/16/24): One family in particular has the following needs. Holly and her fiancé Luiz have a three-month-old son. They are in need of a mattress and bed, clothes for all three of them and some baby items (diapers, diaper bag, etc…)

Holly: 717-513-7173
Luiz: 862-600-7714

UPDATE (10/21/24):

Sandy needs a table, chairs, dresser, stands, dishes and clothes. She can be reached at 717-348-9087.