On Christmas Day Jeremy Tell, his fiancée Kayla Price and their four young children lost their home in Kinross Township to a devastating fire.
The family is leaving 2024 without a house, but entering 2025 they have found out just how much this area is caring and giving in a time of need.
In the past week, strong support from the community has poured in with friends, family members and complete strangers helping out by donating money, clothing, toys, and other items.
One such good deed happened Tuesday in Pickford when Curbside Cravings set up from noon until 4 p.m. at the Pickford Global Methodist Church to serve up burgers and hot dogs with all proceeds going to the family.
"A good friend of Kayla's, Michelle White from Penny's Kitchen, reached out to me and asked Amber (Edington) and started pulling things together and doing this on her own. She has handled it all right from the donations all the way from hosting and getting the site out here in Pickford. She's a Grandmother too so she really wanted to come in and help," said Kalya's mother, Christin McKerchie.
The moment the Edingtons heard about the fire and the family's needs, she and her husband, Brent, sprung into action.
"This was all started by Brent. He couldn't sleep because he wanted to do something. I found him in our living room at 4 a.m. the night of Christmas and asked him what in the hell he was doing and he said I have a plan we are running a fundraiser we have to help them," Edington said.
As the saying goes, Edington understood the assignment.
"That means hey wife get the papers we have some lists to make. Thirteen years married and working side by side every day, I guess you learn what the other actually means," Edington said.
Before this fundraiser, McKerchie had never met the Edingtons.
"It's very heartwarming. It's amazing they would step in and do something like this," McKerchie said.
Right now, a lot of the focus is on getting the children back into a sense of normality.
"The kids start school this Thursday. Their essentials are all set and will get back into a routine. We are trying to reestablish strength within the family," McKerchie said.
A dozen hot dogs and 102 hamburgers were sold. The fundraiser brought in $1,753 with leftover food given to the family.
