The community in Hillside is coming together to help those families who lost everything in last Tuesday's fire. Dozens were displaced after the major fire erupted at an auto shop near Maple and Conklin avenues, destroying multiple businesses and apartments nearby.
Now the township and Mayor Dahlia Vertreese are hosting a
donation drive at the Hillside Community Center.
"Typically, when people think of donations, they want to go into their attic and take whatever clothes they are not getting anymore or shoes and bring them to places," the mayor said. "However, in instances where people are displaced by fire, the keyword is displacement and that they don't have a lot of room to store things."
Organizers say they are asking specifically for gift cards, which can be used to purchased hotel rooms and food, and laundry supplies to help those displaced.
The drive will take place until Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Hillside Community Center.