After a fire ripped through a home in the Highland Park section of Levittown on Thursday night, the neighborhood began to work together to help the family whose home was heavily damaged.
Salvatore D’Amico lives in the neighborhood and went for a walk with his son on Friday morning. Once he passed the fire scene, he decided that he simply couldn’t sit by while the family on Hardy Road struggled after losing everything. For 10 hours on Friday, a number of hours on Saturday D’Amico was out collecting money to benefit the victims of the fire.
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The fire struck late Thursday night and quickly spread, causing flames to leap out of the front of the home by the time the first firefighters arrived. While all of the residents made it out of the home safe, a responding firefighter suffered minor burn injuries. The cause of the fire was under investigation by the fire marshal.
“We have a lot of compassion and I thought, ‘let’s do something,’” D’Amico said.
Due to fundraising efforts of D’Amico, the community had raised more than $1,000 for the fire victims by noon Saturday.
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“I feel like I am being blessed just by taking part,” D’Amico said on Saturday. “We’re just trying to do our part.”
According to D’Amico, there has been a great response from Highland Park neighbors and the community at large. Nearly everyone who drives by the homemade street side collection station stops to make a donation. D’Amico said that if people driving by don’t have cash, they have stopped by the ATM and returned with a donation. The collection has even had teenagers riding by on the bicycles stop by and drop of a contribution.
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“We’re stirring the hearts of teenagers, and that’s great. It really touches my heart,” D’Amico said.
The donations have not been limited to monetary ones. D’Amico said the local PetSmart donated dog food, treats and toys to the victim. In addition, the local Redner’s Warehouse Market made a contribution.
D’Amico will be presenting the donation to the victims of the fire around 5 p.m. Sunday. D’Amico has said that 100 percent of the proceeds are going to the victims, but will ask the victim to donate 10 percent of the proceeds to the injured firefighter.
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D’Amico is collecting money until 3 p.m. Saturday and from 1:30 p.m. until 5 p.m. Sunday. Donations to the cause can be made at 31 Highland Park Drive, Levittown.
D’Amico’s neighbors have taken to social media to thank him for his contributions and note his kind heart. “With all that is negative in our world, it’s heartwarming to know that good people always outweigh the bad apples,” one woman wrote.
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“There are a lot of good things coming out of a bad situation. That’s what we need to see in the world,” D’Amico said.
