Ben and Lisa Ballew house fire recovery fund

Early Saturday morning, the Ballew family awoke to find a fire in their basement, which was likely started by equipment failure in an electric couch. Ben made efforts to put the fire out, but it quickly consumed their entire house. Thankfully they made it out, along with their boys Cooper and Coby and their dog Fred, but lost everything inside their home.

We had shared earlier that they had lost their sweet dog Pete- but there is hope! After discussing the events of the night they realized there is a strong possibility that Pete may have ran outside during the pandemonium. More than anything, the Ballews would love to have their beautiful dog back. Ben has posted on multiple animal lost and found Facebook groups, but please help them by watching for social media posts and/or looking for Pete in the Blue Creek area. We will be sure to update you here with any news.

There are several other ways to help the Ballews at this time, including a donation to this GoFundMe page. A financial donation can also be given through Lisa’s Venmo account (@Lisa-Ballew-10, last 4 digits of phone 9922). Those funds will help cover the cost of basics including clothes, school supplies, phones, toiletries, etc. as well as contribute to the larger expenses to come like rent and rebuilding.

Local friends have set up a meal train page to ease the stress of cooking and grocery shopping. To sign up click on this link: https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/k0v400?fbclid=IwAR3Ohs6ZmqHJFWVbk24OkYAggjlkhDWN345nAb1IvkW3ER6UZ_Y849_IqhM. Please note that Coby has celiac disease, so they would appreciate gluten free meals.

They are currently staying in their camper at a local campground through the month of October. Looking ahead they would like to rent a home that would allow pets. If you have any ideas or leads, please send them their way. They would love to be in an area where commuting between Lisa’s work at the hospital and school for the boys at Senior High and Riverside Middle, would be convenient, but is not necessary.

They would also gladly accept gift cards and any other donations. Those can either be delivered to their shop (message for address) or sent to Lisa’s mom at:

Louise Schaffel

1640 Janie Street

Billings, MT 59105

Thank you for your support.