Astonishing amount of donations turn up after Shediac apartment fire

All the residents of this 36-unit apartment building in Chediac were cast out by a devastating fire in late October. But they haven't been forgotten about. The community, led by a small group of volunteers, has been rallying to support them. My eyes just lit up. I said, wow, the community really pulls together here in Chediac. This is my third visit here, and it's wonderful. You know, I mean, it's all, half of it's brand new stuff. Come on down, you know. Volunteers came together the day after the fire, when donations of clothing, shoes, and essentials from the community had already begun piling up. And they haven't slowed down. We had no more room to pile. The piles of bags were actually probably 75. When the victims come in to come and get some clothing and some essentials that you need, soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, everything, we help them to choose stuff, tell them what they can take. Some of them are shy. It's like they'll just take one little. Toothpaste, and it's like, no, take what you need. The fire at 25 Cornwall Road broke out in the early morning hours of October 29th, and all residents escaped with no injuries. Fire crews called the building a total loss, and the Office of the Fire Marshal is investigating the cause. The residents of Shediac were so generous that volunteers have had to cut off clothing donations. Businesses in the town have also been offering free meals to the more than 70 displaced residents. Right away come in my mind that I need to do something, so SARAP is not where I'm at right now because of the community. I want to help, and that day it's very sad for the community, so I just said that, okay, I'm going to offer a food for free. On Wednesday afternoon, six days after the fire, crews went back inside the burned building, reuniting some residents with their personal belongings for the first time since the fire. Volunteers say they plan to sell off the remaining donations on November 6th and 7th, giving the money raised to the displaced residents as well. They say it's been a heartwarming experience to see how Shediac comes together in a time of need. There's about 16, 18 volunteers that have been in and out since Friday, and I only knew one of them beforehand, so now we're all kind of like a little family.