Township offers help to Monmouth Junction family.
By: Rebecca Tokarz
The school district and township are doing what they can to help a local family of four burned out of their home last month.
A fire ripped through the Shafer’s New York Avenue, Monmouth Mobile Home Park home April 17. The blaze injured Monmouth Junction firefighter Bob Grennan, 35, and left the family homeless.
"It goes through my mind everyday," homeowner Andy Shafer, 35, said.
The children were at home with their grandmother, MaryAnne Mariano, at the time the fire broke out. The trio and the family dog, escaped the fire without injury, police said. Mr. Grennan, who sustained first-degree burns, was treated at the scene, police said.
The cause of the fire was accidental, according to police.
The Shafers Mr. Shafer, his pregnant wife, Linda; an 8-year-old son, A.J.; and 8-year-old niece, Joyce, who lives with the family have been staying with relatives in Edison since the fire. The family intends to stay in Edison while their home is demolished and they try to raise enough money to install a new home.
He said the family would like to remain in the township and install another home on the same location. But, they are unsure when that will happen.
The family did not have an insurance policy on the home, so it must absorb the demolition and rebuilding costs as well as purchase other items lost in the fire, Mr. Shafer said.
Director of the township Department of Welfare and Social Services LouAnne Wolf said the department plans to help cover some of the costs related to the demolition of the destroyed home.
Ms. Wolf said additional help could come later in the month after she meets with the Community Resource Team. The CRT is a partnership of agencies and citizen groups within the township with a mission to provide the resources necessary for the community to address the four phases of emergency management: mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery, according to the South Brunswick Police Department Web site.
The group is responsible for identifying community needs, establishing interagency agreements, helping to assess the effectiveness of a response following a crisis, developing and managing a community volunteer service program, the Web site says.
In addition, Brooks Crossing, the school both children attend, launched a fund-raising campaign to help the Shafer family.
The school sent a letter home Friday asking interested parties to send monetary donations to the school by today (May 1). All the money will be given to the Shafer family and could either come in the form of a single check or possibly food vouchers, school officials said.
Officials would not disclose a running total for the fund-raiser, but said donations have been coming in on a daily basis.
While Ms. Shafer, 31, said she appreciates everything that has been donated, she was more concerned that her children are taken care of. She said she will worry about herself later.
"My wish list is that my kids are taken care of," she said.
Although her home was destroyed, Ms. Shafer said she ended up with everything that she ever could have hoped for her family.
"I walked away with everything I could possibly want," she said.
The family escaped the fire with nothing more than their lives and the clothing on their back, Mr. Shafer said.
"What I have on me now is what I had when the fire started," he said.
The family is in need of clothing and some ready-to-eat food, because the family does not have access to a kitchen.
A.J. wears boys size 12 pants and size large T-shirt. He is a size-3½ shoe, Ms. Shafer said.
Joyce wears a size 14 girls pants and large size T-shirts. She’s a size-6½ woman’s shoe, according to Ms. Shafer.
Mr. Shafer is a size 34 by 32 jeans and wears large T-shirts, he said. He is a size 12 shoe.
Ms. Shafer, expecting the couple’s second child in August, is a size 12 maternity and wears a large or an extra-large sized T-shirt. She wears a size-7½ women’s shoe.
She said she has received a tote of baby clothing from some friends, but all the toys and other baby items from when A.J. was born were lost in the fire.
Mr. Shafer said friends, family and the Red Cross have done their part to help the family since the fire and he’s grateful for the assistance.
"Thank you for everything everyone has done. It’s been well-used and needed," he said.
Donations can be dropped off at the Senior Center in the Municipal Complex on Ridge Road. For more information, contact Ms. Wolf at (732) 329-4000 ext. 677.

