Anderson Family FIRE Recovery Fund

Hello all, this is Bjorn's sister, Erica. In the early morning hours of January 28th, a fire started in Bjorn and Allison's butcher shop, Bear Butchering , which is located on the bottom floor of their home in the Willow Valley. The fire appears to have started on the exterior and slowly grew until it involved the entire butcher shop and began to travel to the upper floors where the family was sleeping. Thankfully, their four year old daughter, Nata, woke up early that morning and woke up her parents before the fire alarm went off, allowing the entire family to safely evacuate before flames reached the living areas. While their house is still standing, the butcher shop is destroyed and nearly all of their possessions have been ruined either by fire, water or smoke damage.

 

Their generous neighbors, community, family and friends quickly stepped in, and in less than a week, the whole Anderson crew has sufficient clothing, food and shelter. Amazing! Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far! Their homeowner's insurance will eventually help them replace/restore their home and belongings. However, their current needs are:

 

 

At this point, Bjorn doesn't know how long it will take to get the butcher shop up and going. In the meantime, we figure that they could squeak by on as little as $5000 a month (for a family of 7), so have set a stretch goal of $45,000 for this fundraiser (originally set at $40,000), which would give them six months of breathing room to process this loss and work with insurance to get things running again, in addition to covering the loss of the beef. As a homeschooling family, they have lost not only their home but also their business, their livelihood, and their school. It's an all-encompassing loss.

 

Apart from financial aid there are different ways you could help Bjorn, Allison, Clara, Gunnar, Ira, Arne and Nata. Keep them in your prayers. Send them encouraging words by snail mail (PO Box 143, Lundbreck, AB T0K 1H0) or e-mail. It's hard to go wrong with a gift card. The kids lost all their toys and books, so I bet a care package of good quality, gently used toys and books would brighten their days. Hunters and ranchers, we hope you can keep Bear Butchering in mind for that day when the butcher shop re-opens (hopefully soon).

 

In order to settle the costs of the lost beef quickly, we'd like to get this fundraiser rolling and meet 25% of the goal by mid-February.

 

Bjorn and Allison can usually be found lending a hand to anyone in need, and they aren't used to being on the receiving end of things. For example, a member of their community wrote this yesterday:

 

"One of the kindest, most hardworking families in our area have lost their home and most of their belongings to a fire. Bjorn and Allison and their five children could really use some help from their community and friends at this difficult and challenging time. Bjorn and Allison have always been more than willing to lend a hand and be an active part of their community. Every little bit will help as they go through the process of working through the hurdles ahead and restoring the beautiful place they live. Please donate, if you can, and, if not, please share this fundraiser so this young family can get back to the place we all need most…a place called home."

 

Well said! Let’s chip in together and give Bjorn and Allison a little help to get through this hard time. Thanks in advance for your generosity and for all the kindness and love you send their way.