Rockville women’s shelter fundraising after Independence Day fire

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. ( DC News Now ) – Interfaith Works (IW) leaders said an electrical issue with one of the facility’s exhaust fans caused a fire on July 4.

No one was injured but now, the organization is asking for donations to continue serving women in need across Montgomery County.

IW CEO, Courtney Hall, said it was a staff member at IW Women’s Center at Crabbs Branch who found the fire.

“Most of the damage is to the ceiling,” Hall said, “There’s some damage to the outside of the building.”

Thirty-four women and the 16 staff members who work at the shelter relocated to a temporary shelter. It has created challenges that Hall is hoping the community can help meet.

“For those who are able,” he said. “We would encourage people to deliver ready-to-eat hot meals, we’re also particularly encouraging restaurants. For those who are unable to do that, we would encourage them to give through our website. We’ve got a special page setup for that.”

That money will be used in several ways.

“To help women with transportation,” Hall said. “They’re in a new location so they have to figure out how to get around. We don’t have laundry facilities at that new site, so we’ll have to transport people off-site to be able to wash their clothes and for a variety of other things. If they have items that need to be replaced that may have been lost here.”

Hall said the women the group serves are in good spirits despite the circumstances.

“They have cots,” he said. “They also have blankets, they have pillows, they have food, they have their community, which is probably the most important thing.”

As of Monday, IW has received nearly $7,000 in donations. For that, Hall and the group are grateful.

“Before this was even public or before we thought it was public, there were people who saw the news report before it was associated with Interfaith Works,” he said. “They were familiar with the address. They immediately started calling and asking how they could help.”

Hall said the shelter will be closed for at least the next two months, which means the extra need likely will be there for that duration of time.

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