Donations flow in for those affected by the Olympia Place fire

Donations flow in for those affected by the Olympia Place fire
Western Mass News
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AMHERST, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - It has been almost a whole week since the devastating fire that tore through an apartment complex just outside of UMass Amherst, displacing hundreds of students. While the investigation goes on, donations continue to come in to help those impacted.

Western Mass News visited the New2U thrift store, it’s a store here at Hampden Commons on the UMass Amherst campus, where donations have come from both students & faculty, as well as former faculty, alumni and even the general community.

Our crew was in Amherst for much of the day, witnessing clothes, toiletries, and even kitchen items being dropped off into big cardboard boxes.

Those who work at the store have been taking donations into the sorting room, where anyone impacted can stop by and gather what they need. Clothing ranges from pants to sweatshirts to shirts, especially shirts that will be necessary with the cold weather rolling in.

We spoke with New2U’s store manager, Eva Bargloff, who told us hundreds and hundreds of items have come in, and it is all hands on deck at the store, “dozens and dozens and dozens of bags coming in every single day. Trash bags, giant grocery bags, suitcases filled with things.”

Bargloff says anyone can come by Hampden Commons and put items into the donation boxes any day until the building’s closing time. They can expect a lot more of this effort continuing during the next couple of weeks.

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