I decided two weeks ago that “W” had to be for “We” in my ongoing “ABCs of the SCV” series, and I shared local community efforts to provide back-to-school supplies to children who need them.

I am staying with the theme of “we” this week as I recently learned of a Santa Clarita Valley family that could certainly use the power of “we.”

Leah and her husband have twins who are 3 and a daughter who is 5. Recently, the family suffered the trauma of a terrible house fire. Luckily no one was hurt, but the children are struggling to cope with the loss and fear associated with the event, and the family is working quickly to recover basics for the children that were lost or damaged.

The family stayed with friends for a few days and will be living in a hotel for the next several months until they can find a rental home. Their son lost everything (the fire started in his room), and most of their daughters’ clothing was completely damaged in the fire, too.

The Winger family.

At this time, their essential needs are clothing for the children, particularly clothing for the cooler weather to come, as they have received some initial donations to get them by for right now. The boy is 4/5T and particularly needs fall clothing items. Other items they will be needing to replace include children’s toys, bedding and furniture.

It has been heartening to see the “we” in effect already as their church, Real Life Church, has come together to donate a storage unit for them; friends are sharing their post office box with them; and other families from the Twins Club that the family belongs to have set up a volunteer spot page and a system for helping them get basic needs right now (such as milk and eggs).

Given their tenuous living situation, gift cards for groceries and clothing are most helpful, since their space is so limited. These can be sent to the Winger Family, c/o Clamps Unlimited at P.O. Box 220387, Newhall, CA 91322. I know many people end up with gift cards that go unused, so this would be a great time to check around and see if you have one that you might be able to share with this family.

Since they do have some limited storage through assistance from Real Life Church, people who prefer to donate items should email SCVMOTC@gmail.com (this is the email for the SCV Mothers of Twins Club). The club can coordinate the donation of items for the family.

I truly believe in the power of “we” and cannot imagine what this family must be going through right now. I know their children are scared and struggling to adjust, just as their daughter starts kindergarten. If you have any questions about how you can help, you can pop over to The Good Long Road on Facebook and ask.

Jennifer Fischer is co-founder of the SCV Film Festival, a mom of two, an independent filmmaker and owner of Think Ten Media Group, whose Generation Arts division offers programs for SCV youth. She writes about her parenting journey on her blog, The Good Long Road. Her commentary is published Saturdays on SCVNews.com.