Marianna fire victims receive Christmas donations
When a family in Marianna lost everything in a fire, the community came together to give them a merry Christmas.
The Dec. 19 fire destroyed the home of Jerrica Shrader, Larry Robison and Shrader’s four children, who all escaped unharmed.
“That night, after the fire, we all decided that we were going to get together as a department and buy gifts for the kids for Christmas,” said Joel Quigley, the assistant chief of the Marianna Volunteer Fire Department.
Other local fire departments who responded to the scene also got involved. Jodi Thomas, a Bethlehem-Center School District bus driver who takes the children to and from school, organized a clothing drive at the Marianna Community Public Library.
At the Marianna fire hall on Christmas Eve, Shrader, Robison and the children received the gifts the community collected for them. The West Brownsville American Legion Post 940 brought along Santa Claus to hand gifts to the children, Quigley said.
The donations included toys, clothing, food, beds and gift cards.