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Fire Victims Get New Home For The Holidays

EAST STROUDSBURG — A single mom and her three kids lost everything in a fire last week in Monroe County Even after receiving some help from the Red Cross,...
mon fire folo

EAST STROUDSBURG -- A single mom and her three kids lost everything in a fire last week in Monroe County

Even after receiving some help from the Red Cross, the family still had nowhere to stay, but that's when the Pocono community stepped up in a big way.

Queenabell Cook and her three kids lost everything in a fire last Friday, including wrapped Christmas presents under the tree.

The family of four had no place to stay, but thanks to a generous donation, they'll have a home for the holidays and then some.

Queenabell Cook has her old rental home boarded up and blocked off with fire police tape. She and her three kids, ages 16, 15 and 5 weren't home last Friday night on their way to grandma's house when a fire destroyed nearly everything they owned.

"I'm looking at my windows that I look out every morning. All of them are busted out. I ain't got no home. Everything's gone, what else can you do."

Cook fought back tears. This single mom was just about to start community college in January and had just wrapped Christmas gifts the day of the fire.

"I had just purchased numerous Christmas gifts and was so excited to have finally purchased some of the things that was on their lists, and some of the things that my mom and my brother gave them, that was under that tree."

The Red Cross helped the family with a hotel room for a few days, but she wasn't sure where they were going for Christmas.

Then the people at a Pocono real estate firm in Stroudsburg heard about the family's troubles. They say the story touched them and they wanted to step in to help.

"I think this one was particular, it's Christmas Eve in a couple days, it was a fire," said Tom Wilkens, NEPA Management Associates.

The folks from NEPA Management Associates handed cook the keys to a townhouse near Shawnee, helping this single mom get back on her feet by paying her rent for three months.

"She doesn't have to worry about her heat, her rent or anything else and she can concentrate on getting into college, getting started and finding another place to live."

Cook looked on in amazement touring the place she can now call home for the next three months.

"The community has been outpouring and for someone who just thought it was just me and my kids, who am I? I just live in this town. Look at what happened."

Cook also says she had lots of support from the Salvation Army, Red Cross, her kids' schools in the Stroudsburg area and other local businesses and if there's one message she can pass along, it's simply a big thank you to the Poconos.

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