More than $35,000 has been garnered from 12 events in the past few months to raise funds for victims of the Black Forest fire. Tri-Lakes Cares of Monument, Colo., has been distributing the majority of those dollars.Carrie Pendergast, development manager at Tri-Lakes Cares, said the organization has helped 170 families from Black Forest with the funds. Tri-Lakes Cares also received $20,000 from the El Paso County Housing Authority to assist homeowners in getting back on their feet after the devastating disaster.Pendergast said theyíve helped the majority of families from July on. ìMost families did not initially know what assistance they needed; now they are starting to get an idea of what they might need,î she said. Tri-Lakes Cares provides a wide variety of assistance, from buying new clothes to helping get families settled into an apartment. They also help with medical items, such as purchasing dentures and hearing aids that were lost in the fire.Tri-Lakes Cares handles each situation case by case; nothing is too little or too much, Pendergast said. They treat each client with the utmost respect, and anyone uncomfortable coming in and asking for help can schedule an appointment with a case manager. ìA lot of the folks that used to be our donors are now the ones that need help, and often they are embarrassed that they need to ask for help,î she said.Tri-Lakes Cares also provides a free medical clinic that is available to fire victims and the rest of the community.Pendergast said families can ask for assistance more than once. She said it is often the smaller items that add up. ìRestocking your spice cabinet, for example ñ little costs that when you lose everything you donít think about,î she said. ìYou think about furniture and the structure, but itís the little things we take for granted.î Tri-Lakes Cares attempts to provide a fast turnaround to families that ask for help. Now that people have lived with their situation a few months, Pendergast senses the need will continue to grow.
