It’s been a few weeks since a destructive fire in Camden Westwood Apartments in Morrisville last month.
The fire impacted about 30 units and 70 people, according to the Town of Morrisville. Though there were no fatalities, several people sustained injuries. The building was deemed a “total loss.”
Since the fire, the Carolina Asian Alliance is continuing to organize donation drives for those who lost their home and nearly all of their belongings.
Natalie Wu is the executive director for the Carolina Asian Alliance. She said the apartment complex is made up of majority Asian-Americans, particularly Indian residents.
Wu said her son, Steve, came up with the idea for a donation drive after seeing the news about the fire.
“This community gives us a lot, and we always help each other and, yes, he said ‘that is the time for us to show love for our community,’” Wu said.
Wu and her son began collecting canned food donations. Wu said they posted their efforts on Facebook, and started receiving donations from people in Morrisville and the surrounding towns. Along with the canned food, Wu said they’ve received all kinds of donations, such as blankets, clothing, cleaning supplies, and pet food.
“We're thinking that this is just little help for them to rebuild their house and restock everything,” she said.
Eventually, Wu said, they ran out of space, and started collecting the donations in a local restaurant, Acacia Tree Asian Cuisine, located on Keybridge Drive close to the apartment complex.
Wu said community response has been helpful. They've also received donations from schools who’ve shared the information with students.
“That is really amazing,” Wu said. “If it was just me and my son or our organization, we cannot do this.”
The Carolina Asian Alliance will continue to take donations to impacted residents for the near future. For those wanting to help, information is posted to their Facebook. The Hindu Society of North Carolina says anyone who needs help can contact them as well.
