Bronx high-rise fire victims receive checks from Muslim Community Network
NEW YORK -- Fifty-four days after the tragic high-rise fire in the Bronx, additional help is reaching survivors and families of the victims.
Seventeen people were killed in the Jan. 9 fire in Fordham Heights.
As CBS2's Tony Aiello reports, the flowers on a memorial have faded since January, but the need for financial assistance has not.
Families impacted by the fire at the Twin Parks North West building lined up Friday for aid crowdfunded by the Muslim Community Network of New York.
"It helps a lot. It's helpful," survivor Abbi Drammeh said.
"It really showed that the community really cared and were shocked by what had happened. Both Muslims, as well as non-Muslims, gave to the organization from all over the United States," said Aniqa Nawabi, with the MCNNY.
Aid checks handed out Friday ranged from $800-2,000 per family, depending on size, with an additional $4,000 for each of the seven families that lost loved ones.
It's just part of the outpouring of public and private generosity after the Jan. 9 inferno.
A fund set up by New York state has distributed more than a half million dollars in monetary assistance.
On GoFundMe, the Gambian Youth Organization raised $1 million. It's given $5,000 to each of the 115 families in the building and $10,000 per deceased to their next of kin.
There's been aid from the city, as well.
Fire survivors say it all eases the disruption they've experienced.
"What's your message to people who reached into their wallets?" Aiello asked one survivor.
"They went above and beyond. All I can say is God bless them and thank you," they said.
"I thank them very much," survivor Ben Holmes said.
The mayor's fund and other groups that raised money are holding some of it back for future needs.
The Muslim Community Network is keeping $40,000 in reserve, planning to spend some of it on a day of community fellowship for the families who've suffered so much.
Many survivors are relocating to a complex in the South Bronx. Only a handful have returned to the Twin Parks North West building. Management is paying for hotels through April 7 for those still looking for housing.