A single mom and her seven kids have nothing but the clothes they wore on Tuesday after a fire in Baker County destroyed the family’s double-wide trailer.
Fire rescue units showed up eight minutes after they were dispatched, but they could not save the home.
Lucy Winters’ grandchildren were at school when the fire started and quickly spread throughout their home.
Winters and her family are now sharing a two-bedroom, one-bathroom home while the community is helping them get back on their feet.
Winters says her daughter is hardworking and does everything she can to provide for her seven kids -- four of them biological and the other three adopted.
“She was there for 6 hours watching the house burn, it was taxing and very sad for her," she said. "But the miracle of how everyone has responded leaves her in total awe."
Among the charred remains, the only items that survived were family pictures, a pair of glasses and two bibles. One of the bibles was open on the book of Job, the other on the Lord’s prayer.
“It was like God [was] talking straight to us,” Winters said.
Pastor Chas Rowland of Glen Baptist Church says the community responded in kind to the family. The church received several donations of new and used clothing along with other items.
“She’s the kind of person who will sacrifice herself, she’ll go without to make sure kids are cared for and because they’re without [items], we want to make sure they’re cared for,” Rowland said.
Winters is grateful for the care and compassion the community has shown.
“You’ve felt the love coming from everyone, and you saw what’s truly important, and what’s going to be with us forever,” she said.
Pastor Rowland is encouraging the community to drop off gift cards at Glen Baptist Church from Monday through Thursday between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Winters’ son has also set up a GoFundMe page for the family.
