Outside of the Office of External Affairs, two bins were set up to take clothing donations for the victims of a five-alarm fire that engulfed a seven-story apartment building in Morningside Heights on the Upper West Side in the early morning hours of Tuesday, November 19th. The fire left almost 300 people homeless and about 15 firefighters injured. Shown here is student Vickie Ndibo donating a bag of clothing. Four big bins of clothing were sent to the Church of the Master, which is located near the site of the fire.

The Office of External Affairs contacted local officials and the American Red Cross the morning of the fire. The office has also been especially in touch with Councilman Bill Perkins's office, which is assisting members of his district during this emergency. Perkins said he was grateful to TC for showing concern for the victims of the fire.

That day, members of External Affairs assisted Paul Mader, the Chef of the catering firm Great Performances, in carrying provisions of food and water into Lerner Hall, the temporary emergency center. Hundreds of homeless people were being registered by the Red Cross at the site. Great Performances is the same catering service that provided assistance after the 9/11 disaster.

For more information, please check the TC Newsbureau Web site at www.tc.edu/newsbureau.

Published Thursday, Feb. 27, 2003