The Lower Burrell community is uniting to support a local family who lost their home in a fire on Michigan Avenue. Many businesses and individuals are helping, with Gus Franco’s Pizza organizing a fundraising event to assist the family who now needs a place to stay, as reported by WPXI.

On Wednesday, the pizzeria held a special sale, dishing out over 100 pizzas and directing all profits to the family in need. The event, which excluded any call-ahead orders and was strictly cash-only, saw pizzas flying out the door from 4-8 p.m.. Patrick Elston, co-owner of the shop, was moved to act swiftly. "We believe that being a part of your community is a huge honor, and we try to give back when we can. This is one of those times," he stated, as per the WPXI report, highlighting the significance of the community-led initiative.

Alongside the pizzeria's efforts, other community members are stepping in. Brittne Vickers, a longtime resident of Michigan Avenue, has organized a clothing and gift card drive for the nine displaced family members, two of whom are students at Burrell School District. In a report by TribLive, she shared her disbelief and resolved to help, "Seeing it in person was so surreal,” Vickers said. “I felt like I needed to do something." Vickers specifically requests gift cards from places like Target, Walmart, Dollar Tree, Dollar General, and local pizza shops to help the family manage their immediate needs without a place to store cash securely.

These efforts show how a community can turn a time of loss into a supportive response. Details about donation drop-off times and updates for the affected family will be shared on Vickers's new Facebook events page.