The Rockville nonprofit Interfaith Works is asking local restaurants and the community for help in feeding 34 displaced residents and donations after a Fourth of July fire extensively damaged its women’s shelter.
“Not only are we looking for individuals to bring a home-cooked meal or to buy a [restaurant meal], but we’re also encouraging restaurants to raise their hand and say ‘Hey, I would love to be able to sponsor a meal, to deliver a meal,’ ” Interfaith Works CEO Courtney Hall told MoCo360 Monday. “I think that’s a great way for [them] to demonstrate that they’re excellent corporate citizens.”
Interfaith Works, which provides housing assistance, shelter programs, essential needs and employment services, runs the shelter for women at 16911 Crabbs Branch Way in Derwood. The shelter provides short-term, emergency housing and case management services ranging from medical care to legal, psychiatric and vocational services, according to the nonprofit’s website.
Thursday’s fire, which started midday and damaged the kitchen and bathroom areas of the center, was caused by an overheated fan motor in the ceiling of the facility’s bathroom, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS). The blaze displaced the shelter’s 34 residents and 16 staff members.
Shelter residents were relocated to a county-owned office building in Rockville, according to Hall. The temporary shelter has sufficient space for the women to sleep and is equipped with bathrooms and showers, he said.
Interfaith Works is asking for donations as well as hot, prepared meals for the residents because the temporary shelter doesn’t have a kitchen, according to Hall.
As of Tuesday morning, more than $9,200 has been donated to Interfaith Works’ fundraiser. In addition, meals for this week have been covered by donations, however, the nonprofit is still looking for meal coverage over the next few months.
“We’re planning for two months so there won’t be any shortage of need for people to step in and raise their hand and say ‘I’ll help,’ ” Hall said.
According to Hall, most meals served at Interfaith Works shelters are donated by the community, while some food is purchased for residents by the nonprofit.
County residents looking to help out can prepare a home-cooked meal or order food from a restaurant to be delivered, Hall said. Those interested can contact Roslyn Roberts, Interfaith Works’ director of faith and community partnerships, at 240-468-6386.
The nonprofit plans to use monetary donations to buy food for residents when meal slots haven’t been filled; to pay for transportation for residents to doctor’s appointments, work and family gatherings; and for laundry services.
Hall praised the county’s swift action in helping Interfaith Works to find a temporary shelter for residents. Repairs to the Crabbs Branch Way shelter are expected to take at least two months, according to Interfaith Works.
Teri Blandon, director of development at Interfaith Works, wrote in an email to MoCo360 Tuesday that the nonprofit does not know the cost estimate of the damage caused by the fire yet. The county, which owns the shelter building, is still assessing the damage and Interfaith Works is “still figuring out what is lost and what is recoverable,” Blandon wrote.
On Thursday, MCFRS crews responded to the women’s shelter for a report of smoke in the building just after 10 a.m., spokesperson Pete Piringer wrote on social media. As firefighters arrived at the scene, they encountered “smoke coming from eaves and fire in the attic area” of the building, he said.
Around 40 occupants, including Interfaith Works staff, were evacuated from the building when crews arrived and no injuries were reported, Piringer said.
While experiencing Thursday’s fire may have added to the trauma of being homeless, Hall said “everybody was doing fine” when he visited residents at the temporary facility on Saturday.
“Not only have I been impressed with the response from the community, with the response from my team members, [and] the response from the county, I’ve also been really pleased to see how all of that coming together has helped the women to feel some sense of stability, which is really important,” Hall said.
Also, he said he was happy that the “trauma didn’t derail” plans for four shelter residents to move into their own housing within the next two weeks.