Adopt a fire family from Mayflower disaster

Published: November 27, 2017

The following article was originally published in Catholic Charities Connections, a special section of Arkansas Catholic, on Nov. 25, 2017.

On the evening of Saturday, Oct. 14, a disastrous fire occurred at one of the apartment buildings of the Queens Manor Apartments in Mayflower. Of suspicious origin, the fire spread quickly to a number of apartments. Nearly 50 residents were driven from their homes without warning, with only the clothes on their backs.

Immediately, Mayflower’s mayor and school superintendent set up a temporary shelter in the town’s elementary school. The American Red Cross responded, providing vouchers for hotels for those not able to stay with family or friends. Area churches began raising funds and collecting household items and clothing for the survivors.

Catholic Charities of Arkansas quickly became involved. Disaster preparedness and response coordinator, Tracy Eichenberger, went to the town and began case intake. Fourteen families were displaced by the fire. Of those, eight families were in need of long-term case management. Coordinating with Mayflower’s long-term recovery group, the Interfaith and Partners Disaster Recovery Alliance, Eichenberger triaged the cases, determining a priority of needs, and then set about obtaining the assistance needed.

Photo by Tracy Eichenberger / Catholic Charities of Arkansas
This Queens Manor apartment building in Mayflower was destroyed by fire Oct. 14, displacing 14 families.

Although all of the families have found shelter, not all have found permanent replacement housing. Eichenberger will continue to work with the families until all have found a new normal living arrangement, but there will be challenges. Even before the fire, a few of the families were struggling with finances.

Through case management, she will work with the families and help them to formulate a plan that will allow for a workable future life. This case management requires a team approach, using the assets of the different resources available in the Mayflower community — churches, the Red Cross, town officials, the Salvation Army as well as Catholic Charities.

Rennie Tarpley, executive director of His Place His Way Outreach, has been instrumental in securing furniture and household items for the families through donations. Tarpley said he has crews who can pick up donated furniture, but an appointment will need to be made by calling Tarpley at (501) 514-1426. He asked that the items be in good condition. Tarpley said an Adopt a Fire Family program has been started for the displaced residents, and sponsoring individuals, families, churches or organizations are needed.

“We need families or civic groups or churches to adopt them, love them, encourage them and help them get the things they need and just be there for them. This is especially important with the holiday season approaching, Thanksgiving and Christmas will be difficult for many of the families,” Tarpley said.

According to Eichenberger, some of the families are now living in efficiency apartments, until larger units become available. These efficiency apartments do not have kitchens and the families are not able to prepare homecooked meals. The Adopt a Fire Family program will make a significant difference for these families during the coming holidays.

If you are interested in sponsoring a family, contact Eichenberger at (501) 664-0340, ext. 420. Monetary donations or gift cards may be mailed to the Interfaith and Partners Disaster Recovery Alliance, P.O. Box 983, Mayflower, AR 72106.