By Evan Nemeroff and Paul Shapiro
With no food, clothing or a place to sleep, the nearly two dozen people who escaped from last week’s deadly blaze in North Lawrence needed help.
The Feb. 19 fire, on Lawrence Avenue in North Lawrence, destroyed the top floor of an apartment building, damaged an adjacent building, claimed four lives and made headlines across the metropolitan area. Forty-six-year-old Morena Vanegas and three of her children — Saul Presa, 19, Andrea, 13, and Susanna, 9 — were killed.
"The day of the fire, it was obvious that people tragically died, and I was heartbroken," said Ed Ruane, owner of the Life Fitness Club on Mill Street, around the corner. "We had an opportunity to rally around each other and to give back to those who are in trouble. Many people are hurting right now, so any way we can help can make a big difference."
Ruane, like many community members, wanted to do his part. He placed a donation box at the entrance to his gym to give its 2,700 members a chance to do the same, and pledged to match every donated dollar. As the Herald went to press on Tuesday, there was just over $600 in the box.
The Five Towns Community Center in North Lawrence has organized a food and clothing drive for the victims. The center is collecting canned and boxed food, bottled water and juice as well as diapers, wipes, bottles, blankets and clothing. "We have a strong passion to help others when they need it," said Nicole Di Iorio, youth supervisor at the center. "This is why we work here ... The families have nothing. They literally lost everything. Any type of donation would be helpful at this time and can be dropped off at our building."
Di Iorio said that a number of stores in the Five Towns are showing support for the families through this drive. The National Council of Jewish Women Thrift Shop in Lawrence gave two $75 vouchers for clothing items. Dunkin' Donuts donated three dozen doughnuts and two gallons of coffee to the families. Julio's Deli in Inwood supplied sandwiches and cookies, and Exquisitos Desayunos Y Comida Hispana, a Spanish food store across the street from the community center, provided the families with rice, beans, chicken and salad.
The schools are also doing their part to help the victims of the fire (see sidebar, "In the schools and the community, many helping hands").
The Inwood Buccaneer Athletic Club has purchased $250 gift cards at Modell's sporting goods and K-Mart for the surviving members of the Vanegas family. The family’s 9-year-old twins, Susanna, who died in the fire, and Leonel, who survived by jumping from a window, were both members of the club. Edit Vanegas, 42, the children's father, and their brother, Manases, 12, also jumped to safety.
Buccaneer Athletic Club Vice President Patty Vacchio met with another survivor, David Martinez, 29, to give him clothing and to make sure his children had whatever they needed. Martinez survived the fire by leaping out a window as well, along with his wife, Candelaria, 28, and their children, Alisson, 4, and David Jr., 2.
Vacchio also gave Di Iorio $100 to help the surviving children buy new book bags for school. "We are a community-based youth program and really care about all of the families that were involved," Vacchio said. "We are doing a lit bit of everything to get the kids back on their feet. We want to be able to touch all of the families."
The bilingual counselors at the community center accompanied the families to the Department of Social Services to make sure they found housing. The survivors have been in the care of the Department of Social Services since the fire, according to Sam Kille, director of public relations for the American Red Cross in Nassau County. Kille explained that on the day of the incident, the Red Cross focused on providing shelter and food for the victims as well as emotional support in the form of mental health counselors.
"We ended up giving them about $6,500 worth of funds for food and clothing," Kille said. "We gave them a debit card ... for replacement clothing, for replacement shoes, for necessary food. They can take the card and buy the items they need."
The day of the fire, the nearby Mount Zion Church opened a family reception center for the survivors. Close friends of the family have established a bank account at Washington Mutual Bank in Inwood.
Comments about this story? PShapiro@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 201.
