Community steps up to help Niles fire victims

NILES, Mich. — Just days before Christmas, four families are without clothes, vehicles or homes after a Sunday afternoon fire destroyed an apartment house in the 400 block of Fort Street. 

Now, imagine trying to compile a list of every item you could possibly need.  

It’s overwhelming, but so many are jumping in to help. 

“They need winter coats, boots, jeans, underwear,” said Brooke Ragsdale with CJ’s Pizza & Subs. “Everything we take for granted when we get up, open our dresser and it’s there.”

Both The Nugget and CJ’s Pizza have stepped up to be donation sites.  

They’ll take coats, toothbrushes, pillows – anything people can give – and pass them on to the affected families. 

“I know Friday and Saturday is Christmas, but we’ll be here, more than happy to do even curbside pickup, just give us a call and we’ll run out,” said Jeff Harrell, owner of CJ’s Pizza & Subs. 

While these families have a long road ahead of them, this is all in effort to show them people care and will help them through it. 

“It says a lot to see the community come out in droves for people we don’t know,” said Jeremiah Johnson, Operations Manager at The Nugget Bar & Grill. “Sometimes we never know the difference it makes in someone’s life until we make that difference.”