MIDVALE, Utah — On July 31, hundreds of residents faced what seemed like the worst-case scenario, after an apartment fire in Midvale caused them to be displaced, where they had no choice but to turn to local businesses.
“I remember kind of following the smoke that morning and seeing it, I was like, 'Oh my gosh, that is a big fire!' So it was pretty heartbreaking to see how many people it affected,” said Tony Rojas, events coordinator with 2 Row Brewing.
“We had some of the residents come in to get out of the heat,” said Brian Coleman, founder of 2 Row Brewing. "Kind of a sad thing because some of these people didn't really have anywhere to go, and so we just wanted to do what we could to help the situation and hopefully just make someone's life a little bit better.”
Coleman knew he had to do something, and just two weeks later, hosted a fundraiser to donate all proceeds to those impacted.
“When we heard about the fire at the apartments, our hearts sunk because it was Midvale,” he said. “We've got to take care of our community. This community really takes care of us.”
The fundraiser includes a spaghetti dinner and over $3,000 of raffle items donated by other local businesses, all with the goal of raising $7,000 or more.
Coleman said while the money may not be much, they hope to offer something else that can’t be bought.
“Knowing that there's people that care, and sometimes that can give a sense of calm to someone who's lost everything,” he said.
The raffle will end around 6 p.m. on Saturday, but the spaghetti dinner fundraiser that costs $10 will continue until they close at midnight.
Since it’s a 21+ establishment, they will also be doing takeout orders for families with kids.
