Earthquake: The Long Road Back : Fillmore Gets Helping Hand From Barstow

Shocked by television images of quake victims and driven by a desire to help those in need, residents of Barstow have adopted the city of Fillmore, sending a truckload of donated goods that arrived in the city Thursday.

About 25 students and residents spent the afternoon unloading hundreds of boxes of clothing, shoes, baby items, toiletries, food, dishes and furniture from a 28-foot-long trailer at Fillmore Middle School.

They were joined later by at least 30 other residents who helped sort through the goods.

“Thank God for the things those people have sent us. These are things that we need the most,” said Ester de la Cruz, 46. “We lost everything, everything. But now we have hope.”

The goods came in response to a plea from Peggy Glenn, principal of Fillmore Middle School and a former Barstow resident, to friends in her old hometown. Shortly after the Jan. 17 quake, Glenn said, she made a simple request of a former colleague: Could she ask people in the community to donate old clothing and personal items to the Fillmore quake victims?

Glenn was overwhelmed with the response.

“I had no idea that it would get this big,” said Glenn, who worked as a teacher and administrator in Barstow schools for 18 years before she came to Fillmore. “It was fantastic to see the outpouring of charity from one community to another.”

*

Glenn said that when she first called her friend, the most she expected was a small van loaded with a few necessities, such as coats, sweaters and household goods. The shipment generated an outpouring of gratitude from Fillmore residents, she said.

“Barstow has a reputation as a little town with a big heart, and this just proves it,” Glenn said.

Within 72 hours after they heard about Fillmore’s catastrophe, Barstow residents had collected hundreds of dollars in merchandise. A Barstow trucker donated the use of his rig, and another resident volunteered to pull the trailer to Fillmore.

After Glenn’s request, flyers were distributed throughout Barstow. The local paper ran a story and by the afternoon of Jan. 21, residents were dropping merchandise off at one of the local schools.

“We just adopted that town,” said Barstow resident Sue Kelly, 57. “Everyone needs help at times in their lives. What happened to Fillmore can happen to any of us.”

*

The response to the relief effort was not only quick, but widespread, drawing help from many of Barstow’s 21,000 residents, said Jane Sievers, 45, who organized the effort.

“I have never been so gratified with any volunteer program,” Sievers said. “It has just been a real lesson in compassion and the joy of giving.”

Some Barstow residents said they were pleased to know that whatever they gave would go directly to the people who needed it.

“We know that the things that we send are going straight to the people, and that makes it so much more personal,” Kelly said.

Kelly said that once she saw the flyers, she called all of her relatives who live in Barstow. In turn, her relatives called all of their friends. Suddenly, Kelly said she found herself picking up items all over town from those who were not able to drive to the school.

“It was just a matter of hours,” Kelly said, “and we were making trips around the city and picking up items to take to the school.”

A touching moment for Kim Harris, 30, a dance teacher in Barstow, came when her two daughters, ages 5 and 9, voluntarily picked several of their newest toys and clothing to give away.

Harris said the girls filled five large bags with toys, including three Barbie dolls, several new dresses and loaded up another two bags with teddy bears and other stuffed animals.

“As I watched them fill the bags, I had to hold back not to say, ‘Are you sure?’ It was hard to keep my mouth quiet,” Harris said. “I got a thrill from seeing them giving some of their best clothing and toys.

“They were willing to give and that was a refreshing feeling.”

If Barstow residents were anxious to give, Fillmore’s residents were anxious to receive.

“People are going to really need those things when they get back to their homes,” Glenn said as she sorted through boxes of glasses and plates.

Seeing her students wearing the same outfit for several days was one of the reasons that prompted Glenn to ask for help.

Many who lived in Fillmore’s more than 500 residences declared uninhabitable after the quake now have to rely on federal loans and donations to rebuild their lives, said Noreen Withers, Fillmore’s city clerk.

But as they sorted through boxes and bags, Fillmore residents found not only basic items such as hairbrushes and toothpaste, but extra amenities, including a box of women’s makeup and nail polish.

The goods are to be distributed to the community today by the Red Cross with the help of students from Fillmore Middle School.

The coming together of communities is one of the greatest gifts of any disaster, Withers said. “It is heartwarming that people in our state care about us to this extent.”