Another day here in Sidney, Ohio and yet another fire forces a family out of their home. I know the Bundy's personally as their son Noah is a Tiger Cub with my son in the Den that I lead for Pack 97 Cub Scouts here in Sidney. 

So far they have lost everything. They are still waiting to get back in to see if there is anything that they can salvage, but that will not be till next week. I have already taken a few things over to them, thanks to wonderful donations from great people!

Three family members are currently staying at the hotel, which we will likely need to help them in funding part of their stay. The Red Cross has paid for four days right now, but that will only get them by for so long. Clothing sizes are as follows. Women's 18 pants and 2XL shirts. Men's 34/32 pants and L or XL shirts. Boys size 6 pants and shirts. We will likely take them to get shoes like we normally do, so setting up a time with them will be crucial for that. I already took over a big box of boys clothes, and purchased undergarments as well, and I know that there is another person who has some boys clothes to take over. In need of the men's and women's clothing. Once they find out what they can or can not salvage (which they may not be allowed to get back into the house to find out) we can compile a list of furniture needs. 

As always you can stop by our Donations page and donate funds to help us purchase some of their needs, and to help pay for hotel room days. www.bigfourfoundation.org/donations 

Thank you to all who have donated already today, and hopefully some of you will accept the Facebook challenge that has been going around. If we can get 200 people to donate $20 each, that will be an amazing thing. 

Michael Mitchell
The Big Four Foundation

It is great news that both families from the fires in Sidney, now have their own roof over their head.

The Kelly family moved into their home at the end of December, and the Amrine family just got their keys this weekend. 

We had a kitchen table and chairs, and a television that we delivered to their new house this evening and it was amazing to see how a simple roof over their head could bring joy. My wife made the comment that she was sorry that there were only four chairs, and Travis quickly said, "that is four more than we had before you stopped by". Such humility and gratefulness is amazing to see. These are truly good people, making the most out of the hand that they have been dealt. My heart goes out to them and their struggle to put the pieces back together.

There are still needs that we need help with. I have a contact that is looking for a home for an old couch and recliner. They could use about two more beds for adults, and any dressers, nigh stands, or any furniture is really welcomed at this point. We have a shot at possibly getting them a microwave which will help in the kitchen, and they are in desperate need of kitchen utensils, pots, pans,silverware, and dishes.

We are also still working with the Days Inn to get their hotel bills paid off for them. 

We have some money, but not nearly enough to cover the expense of spending several weeks in the hotel. The Amrine family still has one hotel room as the water is not yet turned on and they need that to take showers and such. 

Please contact me if you have anything that you would like to donate and I can get that to them. If you would like to donate money to help pay for the hotel rooms, you can simply go over to our Donate page and make a donation directly to the Big Four Foundation and we will get their bills paid for. 

Thank you so much to everyone who has stepped up, gotten out of their comfort zone and helped us ease the discomfort of getting back to normal for these families. They are very grateful for everyone's help. 

Yesterday was a celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.and what he meant to people, in general, and what he did for civil rights. 

"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity". - Martin Luther King Jr.

Sincerely,

Michael Mitchell
The Big Four Foundation
mmitchell@bigfourfoundation.org