‘Pulls at your heartstrings;’ Holiday gifts intended for foster families destroyed in fire

DAYTON — Christmas presents meant for foster children and their families were ruined when the building they were being stored in caught on fire.

News Center 7′s Kayla McDermott talked to a local professor about how the community has stepped in to help out the families impacted on News Center 7 beginning at 5:30 p.m.

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The trunk of Professor Deann Hurtado’s car is full of decorations that she has collected from bins posted around campus to help foster children – and their biological and foster families.

“Our slogan is kind of find the need and endeavor to meet it,” Hurtado said. “So this was quite the need.”

She said when she heard about the fire at the foster care agency, it pained her to think of the kids’ disappointment.

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“Everything that they had was either destroyed or they can’t access it,” Hurtado said. “It really kind of pulls at your heartstrings to think that those children aren’t going to be able to have the holiday experience that they’ve been used to having.”

She just knew she had to help, and other people have been giving as well.

“The community has really, really stepped in and have really provided all kinds of stuff,” Hurtado said.

Hurtado is taking nearly anything people would like to donate.

“It’s really items that the foster families or the biological families could use, so it can be toys for siblings, matchbox cars,” Hurtado said. “It could be pajamas, it could be all different things.”

Donations can be dropped off at any of the bins on campus, but people only have unit Friday to donate, since the gifts will be brought to kids this weekend.

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