Help the victims of the Mount Pleasant Fire

Victims of the fire at 3145 Mount Pleasant Street have been relocated to the Best Western Hotel on South Capital and I Streets SW through Saturday night. City officials and community workers are helping to find semi-permanent housing for the displaced tenants until the building is refurbished and they can move back in. We've been in close contact with Yasmin Romero at the tenant association and other workers orchestrating relief efforts. Below are the latest needs - Yasmin and the other tenants are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support from the community:Main Needs for Volunteers and Donations:

1. Translation at the Hotel

We need translation for tenants who are now housed at Best Western Hotel at I and South Capitol Streets SW. The Hotel is right next to the DC Inspection Station. You will be helping translate for people working with DC officials to determine medium and long term needs. Please call Jackie Reyes at 202-340-8255 or write her at Jackie Reyes ; it would be greatly helpful if you can provide these services TODAY… OR you can also register and indicate your availability to provide these services through the Hear Mount Pleasant website www.hearmountpleasant.org. Please provide your contact information and your availability and someone from the Mayor's Office will call you and schedule you.

2. Dinner and Gifts for Children... PLUS Cell Phone Chargers – needed at the Hotel

The hotel is very isolated and the tenants would like some food from home. Tonight and tomorrow, Mount Pleasant's neighborhood restaurants are providing dinner for the tenants at the hotel. Don Juan's is making and delivering food for tonight and another, probably Haydee's as well.A few children between the ages of 1-12 need school supplies, toys and backpacks. Please bring toys and school supplies for the children to Don Juan's at 1660 Lamont St so Mr. Ferrufino can deliver the items for the children along with the dinner he is bringing the tenants.Yasmin also says the tenants really need phone chargers. I don't have more specific information than that but if you have a phone charger to donate – please also bring that to Don Juan's at 1660 Lamont so he can deliver them with dinner tonight or take them directly to the hotel.

3. Donate clothes, shoes, food – and Volunteer to help sort donations

Neighbors Consejo 3118 16th St NW needs volunteers to help sort clothes. They will be open until 10PM tonight and all day tomorrow (Saturday).People can also take donations of food and clothing to Martha's Table - 2114 14th St NW.

4. Cash and check donations

Make checks payable to Columbia Heights Shaw Family Support Collaborative (CHFSC). CHFSC is a non-profit agency working with city officials to coordinate relief efforts. They are set up to make checks directly to clients so you know that your money will go directly to the displaced tenants.You can deliver your monetary donations to Pfieffer's Hardware 3219 Mount Pleasant Street, or directly to CHFSC at 1816 12th Street NW.