From staff reports
A fire in the early-morning hours Thursday at the Meadville Salvation Army destroyed toys and food that had been earmarked for close to 200 families.
A faulty refrigerator in the kitchenette area of the facility at 1087 Park Ave. is believed to be the cause of the fire, which was discovered at about 7 a.m. Thursday.
Captains Jim and Lori Brown are hoping that they can rely on the generosity of others to replace the items needed for Christmas assistance for the needy in the community.
In addition to the loss of the items, the building is currently uninhabitable, the group said.
The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services Department is setting up a trailer and heat tent in the parking lot on the property where donations of toys can be dropped off from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. starting today.
Starting next week, The Salvation Army will have a place to sort and distribute toys. ChipBLASTER, located at 13605 South Mosiertown Road, is donating the space for the organization’s temporary use.
“It is unknown when operations can resume at The Salvation Army Meadville facility,” Salvation Army officials said.
Food donations for the holidays will need to be done via gift cards and vouchers as collecting and sorting clothes will not allow enough time for actual food collection, sorting and distribution,” officials said.
Monetary donations are being sought to help with the purchase of gift cards and vouchers for holiday food assistance to the needy. Monetary donations are also being accepted by staff at the trailer on site.
The Christmas Red Kettle campaign in Meadville is also ongoing and is currently only at 37 percent of its goal and running slightly behind last year’s totals as of last week, according to officials.
