Neighbors rally round displaced

Bake sale raises $700 for families burned out of condos, By John Church Vernon - Families displaced by the Great Gorge Village fire were supported by the baking skills of a few volunteers and the tastes of many WalMart shoppers Saturday morning in Franklin. At a table in front of the store business started off quickly when the fundraiser started at 9 a.m. “The fire destroyed eight units in the village and displaced five families,” said Danielle Biehler of Vernon. “The other three units were being used as second residences by their owners.” Biehler was joined by her husband, Joseph, and Christine Ghysels of Highland Lakes in selling baked goods to raise money to support the displaced families. About half of the donors did not take any of the baked goods. “Most of those purchasing anything donated more than we were asking for the item,” said Ghysels. Despite cold temperatures the team set up their tables out of the wind and in the bright sunshine. “We’ll stay out here until the inventory is gone or we start freezing,” said Danielle Biehler. The Biehlers do more than organize, bake and work tables for charities; they have taken in one of the displaced families. “We have taken in a man, his two children and their dog,” she said. “We live with my parents and the house is pretty crowded.” WalMart had no problem with letting the volunteers set up outside the door if they were sponsored by a 501c3 organization. “I approached the local Vernon Township Fire Department. They had the qualifying charity status and quickly agreed to sponsor this event,” Biehler explained. One of the event supporters was Vinny Sammartine of Great Gorge Village whose home was not damaged in the fire. “I was out for the evening and I got a phone call telling me about a fire in the village. When I asked about the location they said they didn’t know,” said Sammartine. “I called my roommate and was told the fire was not near our condo.” The bake sale went on until 4 p.m. when all the cakes and cookies were sold, with $700 raised for the families.

Diners and donors
Little Anthony’s in the Vernon A&P shopping plaza will hold a fundraiser today, Jan. 28, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. in which a donation will be made for every pizza purchased.
Burger King in Vernon will donate 20 percent of the proceeds from sales on Feb. 9 between 5 and 9 p.m. to the families.