Community Together to Help a Local Family
Bellingham has rallied to support the Barrasso family after they lost their home, belongings and beloved pet in a New Year’s Eve fire.
By Jennifer Russo
New Year’s Eve is a usually time when we look forward to new beginnings with an optimistic view of the coming year. We assess our goals and think about what we may try to accomplish and bring more focus to what is important to us. For a local Bellingham family though, the evening resulted in a horrific house fire.
Rachael Barrasso and her two children were not home when the fire occurred just before midnight, but it resulted in a total loss of their home, all of their belongings, and their family pet. The fire was believed to have started through an electrical malfunction. Several local units were called to the scene and were able to contain the fire before it spread to other condo units.
It was important to Rachael to keep her children in the local area at their current school and near their friends, so the family is currently residing in a small apartment owned by her mother. Though it is cramped for the family, it is a better option than uprooting her family at such a sensitive time when they most need community support.
Speaking of which, learning the news of this event, our small town has united with an outpouring of support to help them in a number of ways, including donations and organizing fundraisers through Go Fund Me and the Greg Hill Foundation. Local businesses have been running fundraisers where proceeds go to the Barrasso family and there is an event planned this month to help raise additional money.
The Bellingham Bash for the Barrassos will be held on Saturday, February 11th beginning at 3 p.m. at the Bellingham Sportsman Club on Lake Street. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door and the event includes a DJ, live music with local band Bellinghammered, karaoke, food, raffles, and activities for children like giant Jenga and Yardzee. The community is urged to attend to make the event successful and help the family as much as possible.
Ways to help:
Attend the Bellingham Bash for the Barrassos on February 11th – Tickets can be purchased in advance using the QR code.
Donate on the Go Fund Me page at gofundme.com/f/barrasso-family-home-destroyed-in-fire
Donate on the Greg Hill Foundation fundraiser (which will be matched up to $5,000) at thegreghillfoundation.org/donations/barrasso-family
