$390,000 raised for Drake Hotel fire survivors
A fire broke out at the Francis Drake Hotel apartment building in downtown Minneapolis on Christmas Day. (FOX 9)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The amount of funds donated to those who were impacted by the Drake Hotel fire continues to grow.
The Minnesota Helps - Drake Hotel Fire Recover Fire Fund has received $390,000 in donations from more than 2,500 Minnesotans and companies, according to The Minneapolis Foundation.
“Our team is working hard to address the immediate and the long-term needs of the individuals impacted by the fire,” Chanda Smith Baker, Senior Vice President of Impact at the Foundation said in a press release. “Every individual and family who has been displaced faces unique challenges. It is our goal to use the resources that have been entrusted to us to support the urgent needs – such as safe temporary shelter, food, and emergency supplies – with the need for families to find affordable, stable, and supportive long-term housing.”
According to city officials, 250 people - including 100 children - were displaced by the fire.
So far, the Foundation has distributed the money from the fund in the following ways: $25,000 to the Salvation Army Harbor Light Center to support the immediate ground response, providing financial guarantees on hotel rooms during the transition, $10,000 worth of Target gift cards distributed to the families and $40,000 to allow First Covenant Church of Minneapolis to provide temporary shelter for the next few weeks.
The Foundation will continue to distribute funds in the coming weeks.