A Tinley Park nonprofit says it won’t be able to reopen its doors until early next year following a fire last month, while there has been a significant outpouring of help with tens of thousands of dollars in donations.
Together We Cope, which helps people facing homelessness, is looking to raise $75,000 to cover losses not covered by insurance following the Nov. 21 fire, and has so far seen more than $45,000 in contributions come in, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.
The nonprofit still plans to hold its annual Santa’s Workshop distribution of toys and pajamas on Saturday, helping families of some 200 children, according to Marge Seltzner.
“We’ve been very touched by the generosity,” she said. “It could not have come at a better time.”
The fire was confined to a sorting area for donations for Together We Cope’s Nu2u resale shop, which is a major source of revenue for the nonprofit, 17010 S. Oak Park Ave.
While the fire was quickly extinguished, smoke and water damage meant merchandise offered for sale had to be thrown out along with many food items kept in an adjacent pantry, she said.
Together We Cope is directing clients who rely on it for food donations to other pantries, and can’t take any donations of food for the pantry or merchandise for the resale shop, Seltzner said.
It’s estimated that about $70,000 in losses won’t be covered by insurance, and it’s possible Together We Cope won’t reopen until March 1, she said.
Staff are working out of a cramped administrative space and “there are a lot of things we can still do for clients,” including help with things such as rent payments and utility bills, Seltzner said.
Online donations since the fire have topped $20,000, and Together We Cope this week received a single donation of $25,000, although the donor wishes to remain anonymous, she said.
Donations of unwrapped toys and pajamas, preferably in large and extra-large sizes for teenagers such as flannel sleep pants, are still being accepted at a temporary storefront at 17030 S. Oak Park Ave. in Tinley Park, with the space being used for the Santa’s Workshop distribution, Seltzner said.
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Together We Cope will also hand out hats, scarves and mittens to families, she said.
Fortunately, items collected before the fire and intended for that distribution were kept at a separate location and not damaged, she said.
Seltzner said Together We Cope is also looking to find a temporary location for the Nu2u resale shop.
Although the fire did not spread to the resale store, smoke and water damage resulted in nothing being left salvageable, she said.
“Furniture, everything had to be thrown out,” Seltzner said.
Also helping Together We Cope is a massive holiday lights display organized annually by Dominic Kowalczyk.
Visited by thousands each year and requiring police help to navigate the influx of traffic, the display spans his home and adjoining properties in the 17300 block of Avon Lane in Tinley Park.
In 2014, he started collecting for Together We Cope, and that holiday season garnered $4,100 in donations.
Last year just under $35,000 was raised, up from $32,000 the year before, according to Kowalczyk, who owns a construction company.
He sits on Together We Cope’s board of directors and said the retailer American Sale, based in Tinley Park, is helping again this year in raising money for Together We Cope.
American Sale sells Christmas and other seasonal décor as well as outdoor patio furniture, playground sets, pools and grills.
Visitors to the Tinley Park holiday display can scan a QR code for a coupon to show at checkout at an American Sale store, with a portion of the sale going toward Together We Cope, according to the company.
Kowalczyk said the QR code is next to his collection box for Together We Cope, and he said he hopes it will add to what the display itself will collect.
“It’s not just people buying Christmas decorations, but anything in the store,” he said.
Kowalczyk said he believes the news of the fire will help spur donations, whether through his collection or directly to Together We Cope.
“They have had an outpouring of support,” he said. “This is the time of year when they are there to help people.”