QUEANBEYAN mother Tisha Cross has been overwhelmed by the amount of community support after an accidental fire left her and her three children homeless.
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Miss Cross has been inundated with donations of white goods, kitchen items, children's toys and gift vouchers since the fire claimed the Cameron Road, Karabar home on Wednesday, April 8.
She and her children, aged 6, 4 and 2-years-old have been staying at her mother's Queanbeyan home since the fire while trying to piece their lives back together.
"I've been overwhelmed with the amount of support," Miss Cross told the Queanbeyan Age this week.
"I've received things from family, friends and many people that I don't even know, just strangers. It's amazing, there's still so many nice people out there.
"About 90 per cent of our furniture is gone, I've just been trying to see what we can salvage of our personal stuff like photos and baby memories."
Miss Cross said most of the home's contents were burnt or smoke damaged in the fire and she still needed towels, linen, bedding for herself and children as well as curtains.
Kevin and Katrina Lauro from the Vista Mini Mart, more commonly known as the Donald Road corner shop, will be holding a sausage sizzle this weekend with all the proceeds going to the family.
The store employees will be whipping up sausage sandwiches and bacon and egg rolls outside the shop from 9am to 3pm on Saturday, April 18.
Mr Lauro said they just wanted to help the family who were regular customers of the corner store.
"They've been coming in the shop for so long. We've been wanting to hold a fundraiser for so long...and we figured this was a good reason. All the meat has been donated by Dumbrell Butchery next door," he said.
"Any time when you can't go back to the house you live in, you're uprooted and it's not expected, there's turmoil...the last thing you want is to worry about financial stuff."
A family friend, Skyan Fernado, has also pitched in by setting up a Go Fund Me page to help the family get back up on their feet.
Miss Cross was appreciative of all the effort going in to help her family after a difficult week.
"I've been ok this week, last week was more emotional," she said.
"I appreciate everything that everyone is doing. [For Kevin and Katrina] to do that, organise a sausage sizzle for us, it's great.
"We really appreciate it, we go to the shop all the time."
Last week, Queanbeyan firefighters confirmed the blaze began in the kitchen after the electric stove was accidentally left switched on and items around the stove ignited the fire.
Firefighters were able to extinguished the fire before it got into the roof but the house is unlivable and most of the contents damaged.
Financial donations can be made at www.gofundme.com/rb39p4 or to arrange items to be donated please contact Miss Cross at Tsha987@outlook.com. The sausage sizzle fundraiser for the family will be held at the Donald Road Corner Shop on Saturday, April 18 from 9am to 2pm.