Although a number of his neighbors were impacted by the fire, Rosenberg says that a big motivator for him to jump in to help is the fact that the community has come together to support his family. “My wife [Lauren Feder] and I started our foundation [Sophie's Neighborhood] two years ago when we were given the unfortunate diagnosis of our daughter's ultra-rare disease, MCTO," he explains. "The local community really showed up to help us out, and we felt this would be a wonderful way to give back.”
Hosea Rosenberg (left) accepting toy donations. Many kids have donated their Christmas presents to replace Christmas presents lost in the fire.
Hosea Rosenberg
Families that lost everything had been coming to this tent for warm clothes, food and basic comforts, and for those volunteering their time, this had been the most rewarding experience of their lives, Rosenberg says. To see someone come in and purposefully destroy and steal from a truly wholesome endeavor was heartbreaking.
“I was clearly upset," he adds. "The most upsetting part of all is that this tent is set up to give away food, clothing and supplies for those in need. The front door was zipped up and could easily be opened. If someone is in need — regardless of if they have been affected by the fires or not — we will happily give them whatever they want. They don't need to make a huge mess, cut the tent walls and steal. They just need to ask.”
Luckily, the Blackbelly team is resilient. They shook it off, cleaned up and got back to supporting their community, and will continue to do so until January 14 at 5 p.m.
"We've had a lot more good than bad happen over here [at Blackbelly] this past week," Rosenberg wrote in an Instagram post, "and I don't want anyone to think we've given up on humanity!"
