GLENWOOD, Iowa (KMTV) — An apartment fire in Glenwood displaced several people including a little girl and her family.
A shocking scene and lots of loss are how Jeff DeYoung and his granddaughter Harper describe the apartment fire last week.
"The glass breaking in the middle of the night, smoke alarm going off and them getting out as flames were coming into their apartment," DeYoung said.
Harper ended up losing nearly everything including her toys and Pokémon collection.
"Some of my Pokémon were out there, beside where the fire was. Those probably got burned. The other ones in my bedroom probably got wet, so they broke," Harper said.
Jeff wanted to bring some joy back into his grandchild's life.
"I just happened to mention on Facebook that she lost her Pokémon cards so people started reaching out to me about that, and I thought that sounded kind of cool and I knew how much she liked them," Jeff said.
Soon enough donations like toys and gift cards poured in.
"I know she's grateful, and we've talked about the importance of thanking people and the importance of remembering this. If circumstances are different down the road and you have a chance to help somebody, then you need to pay that forward," Jeff said.
Jabe Rounds, a Glenwood teen, is showing an example of paying it forward by donating two binders of cards to Harper.
"It was generous for my friends to give all of theirs to me," Rounds said. "I mean, it just, might as well give all of mine to her."
Call it passing the torch from one good Samaritan to another.
"I hope if she's put in a situation like this in the future, she can do something similar like that, even if it's donating the same Pokémon cards," Rounds said.
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