The Mt. (Un)Pleasant Fire Fundraiser: Washington, DC

So, by now, most of you have heard of the fire that destroyed an apartment building in Mt. Pleasant late Wednesday night. I meant to write about it earlier, but haven't gotten to it yet, but I am trying to atone with this blogpost.

The DCist has a poignant wrap-up in pictures, so be sure to check it out.

In the meantime, I wanted to spread the word about this fundraiser held TONIGHT @ Mackey's at 6:30 p.m. Details are below:


EMERGENCY FUNDRAISER TONIGHT!
Mackey's on L between 18 and 19
6:30pm

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As many of you know, a fire destroyed an apartment building in Mt. Pleasant on Wednesday night. This is the first five-alarm fire in DC in nearly 30 years. 200 people have been displaced, and low-income residents and families are the most affected.

You may have also heard about the problems the residents were having with the landlord -- leaking pipes, holes in ceilings, broken electrical outlets, and numerous fire safety violations. This is a classic example of evacuation by neglect -- landlords who purposefully do not fix violations, but rather allow their buildings to deteriorate as a way to force low-paying tenants to leave. Once vacant, the buildings are then converted to higher-priced residences.

These people and their families were already being forced out, and now that their apartments have burned down, they have nothing left and no where to go.

For example:

• Edilma Alvarez, 33, is nine months pregnant, had just set up a crib for her baby. "I had everything all ready in the apartment, and now it's destroyed," said Alvarez, a native of Guatemala who has lived in the building for three years.


• Maria Irma Villatoro is still waiting to find out if anything in her apartment was salvageable. The only thing she was able to grab before she rushed out after hearing a smoke alarm was a bag that contained her green card and a few other important papers. "All I have is what I'm wearing," Villatoro said, her eyes filling with tears. "I don't even have a dollar."

As such, Doug and Meg, residents of Mt. Pleasant and fundraisers at heart, are organizing an emergency fundraiser tonight, starting at 6:30pm, at Mackey's on L street. We will be collecting items and dropping them off at Neighbors' Consejo, a neighborhood organization that is providing help and relief to those displaced by the fire.

Items needed:

1. Children's Clothing
2. Bottled Water
3. Blankets
4. Trash Bags
5. School Supplies
6. Gift Cards
7. Baby Formula

We will also be accepting cash donations. And if you can't make it, but still want to donate, please check out their website .

BUT, what would a Doug and Meg fundraiser be without.... A RAFFLE! By either donating an item in the above list, or a minimum $5 cash donation, you will have a chance to win:

• Amy Winehouse cd
• $5 Target gift card
• WWF pint glass- $25
• AMEX gift card
• Celebration of the Land: The last Sanctuaries (coffee table book)
• Two Nationals tickets

Hope to see you all there, and please, forward along to your friends.

Thanks! -Meg and Doug