By Glenn Rolfe

LAUREL — Friday was moving day for yet another family displaced by the Jan. 27 Rigbie apartment fire.

Two weeks after the blaze destroyed the century-old multistory, multiunit apartment complex in downtown Laurel — leaving 15 families homeless — all but four of them are residing in permanent or temporary housing through efforts spurred by the Good Ole Boy Foundation.

Thursday night, GOBF reported that rental housing, including security deposit and first month’s rent, has been secured for six families, while another five will be living in temporary housing for three to four months.

“Bottom line, there are four families still left to (be) placed,” said GOBF co-founder K.C. Conaway. “We’re starting to see the finish line. I think we have made some incredible (progress) in two weeks.”

This is a collective “we,” encompassing local businesses, organizations and individuals, as well as the Laurel School District.

“It is incredible what people do. They just need an avenue,” said Mr. Conaway. “Families are wanting to help, and we’ve just got to point in the right direction. That is what the Good Ole Boys does, is just point our community in the right direction. And they always step up to the plate.”

More than 50 people — infants, children and adults — lost practically all their possessions in the three-alarm event, which brought fire companies from two states to the Central Avenue site. The majority of those displaced are Hispanic, and some are Haitian Creole.

Four families remain in hotel lodging. They were to be relocated to another hotel Friday, Mr. Conaway said.

From the outset, beginning with a mass gathering at the Laurel Fire Hall the night of the blaze, the goal has been to get the apartment’s occupants back on their feet, back to work, back to school and back to a normal life with a semblance of normalcy.

What seemed like mission impossible is being made possible through community support, which has not wavered for two weeks.

Local Hispanic radio station, La ZMX Delaware, has come aboard and “been incredible on how they have helped rally support and love on these families through this tragedy,” GOBF reported. So has Hoy en Delaware, a Hispanic newspaper.

Meals are being served to the families twice a day, prepared by a group of Hispanic women, along with some gentlemen helpers. GOBF supplemented their supplies with a massive shopping spree at Walmart.

“With the radio station and this group of ladies and men that have kind of taken these families under their wing, as well (as) on the Hispanic side, they have really helped us along the way, with translators or whatever,” said Mr. Conaway. “They are an awesome group.”

On Wednesday, Seaford’s Chick-fil-A held a proportional-proceeds fundraiser for the Rigbie fire victims, and Mr. Conaway said GOBF was told the event broke a record for most sales during a specified period, even surpassing the restaurant’s opening day.

“Our community came out in force, that’s for sure,” he said.

On deck is an online auction through the Kim & Evans Family Foundation, in partnership with GOBF. It will be held Feb. 20-27. To donate items, email kimandevansff@gmail.com or drop them off at TidalHealth Primary Care, 30549 Sussex Avenue, Laurel, by Wednesday. For more information, visit here.

Additionally, the Laurel School District, also active in response since the fire, held a Casual Friday Fundraiser, with money earned going toward the displaced students and their families.

The district also is working with Kim Littleton from Laurel’s A & K Enterprises for school uniform needs, and Laurel Elementary School staff hosted a birthday party at Chick-fil-A for one of the students affected.

“The Laurel School District is proud to partner with the Good Ole Boy Foundation, as everyone works together to reach the ultimate goal — find affordable housing for all the families,” said Susan Whaley, the district’s director of student services.

With housing comes furnishing needs, such as furniture, bedding and appliances. The call for these is often spontaneous.

“We’re at the point now where it is a case-by-case thing, kind of on an as-needed basis,” said Mr. Conaway.

Case in point, he said, was last weekend. The night before GOBF’s planned Sunday Funday for these families, word was received of a rental availability.

“This was at like 8:30 p.m. We took the family. They liked it. It was in the Laurel School District,” said Mr. Conaway. “But the landlord was leaving the next morning for Florida.”

The landlord gave the go-ahead to move in, but there was a pressing deadline. Therefore, an online document was set in motion, seeking a variety of furniture and appliances with a 10 a.m. Sunday deadline at the Laurel Fire Hall.

GOBF banked on its belief that the community would do what “they always have done,” said Mr. Conaway. “And by 10 o’clock, we had every bit that we needed, and we got them all moved in.”

The fun followed immediately after, beginning with food and bowling at Bryan’s Bowling Center in Laurel, an outing sponsored by local businessman Greg Johnson.

“We had two school buses the school district had lined up. We had schoolteachers there and basically anyone that has been helping in some of these efforts,” said Mr. Conaway.

After that, there was a trampoline adventure for children in Delmar, during which some the adults, mostly mothers, were treated to shopping sprees at the mall in Salisbury, Maryland. Each received a $500 gift card to shop as they wished.

The day concluded with a dinner and fellowship gathering back in Seaford. And there was an educational component: Billy Reese of State Farm talked about the importance of renter’s insurance.

“Most of these people did not have renter’s insurance,” said Mr. Conaway, noting that Mr. Reese also donated 15 fireproof security boxes to the families. “One of the main things they lost was their documentation they’ve been scrambling trying to get. They can now protect that.”

GOBF salutes the humanitarian effort of all who have helped, including Mountaire (about a half-dozen displaced individuals are employees there) and the Teen Challenge Mega Thrift Store in Seaford.

The group’s pledge is not to rest until every family has secured permanent housing and their needs are met.

“That is one of the goals of this endeavor. Our dream is we want them to be better than they were before and to maybe learn a little bit more,” said Mr. Conaway. “And we have learned a lot in the process, as well. In the end, we all (became) a little bit more educated than we were before.”

He added, “This one has definitely been our biggest challenge by far of anything that we’ve had to do, just the language barriers, cultural difference. … It has been an awesome experience — very, very tiring and time-consuming but very, very rewarding, as well.”

For updates on this effort and others in the community, visit the GOBF Facebook page.