After a fire gutted a Buffalo Township home earlier this month, neighbors and strangers alike have come together to support a local family.
The Haberman family watched as firefighters battled a smokey blaze at their Edgewood Drive home for more than five hours on Feb. 19.
Husband and wife Rob and Shanna Haberman and their three young boys, Julian, Landon and Jaxson lived at the home with Shanna’s grandmother, Judy Mihon.
So far, an online fundraiser to help the Habermans has seen more than 100 people offer a total of more than $15,000.
The fund was organized by Shanna’s sister, Maddy Pulaski, who said the family has been touched by donations from friends as well as people the family has never met.
“I know (Shanna) cries every time she looks at it,” Pulaski said.
In addition to the fundraiser, Pulaski said, neighbors and friends have also dropped off food and clothes to help the family get back on their feet.
The Habermans had been preparing to rent a nearby home before the fire, but Pulaski said the landlord allowed the family to move in early after the blaze. Their grandmother, she said, is staying with another family member.
“It’s a hard time, but the way the community has been helping them, it’s hard to be sad or mopey,” Pulaski said.
Those interested can find the fundraiser at gofundme.com/f/help-a-family-rebuild-after-devastating-fire-tap48.