Last Thursday evening, Feb. 2, was a devastating one for the Bergin Family, who lost their house at 14 Shadow Ln. and everything in it to a fast-moving house fire. Grateful that they weren’t home at the time and that their dog was able to escape, they are now starting the process of moving forward. They’ve been helped by an abundance of support and generosity from the Wilton community, which rallied so quickly to say, “What can we do to help?”

Since that night, donations of clothes, school supplies and gift cards have come pouring in, thanks to the organizing efforts of the Bergins’ close friends and neighbors, as well as the Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Cider Mill School, and Middlebrook School. Yesterday, Shirley Bergin sent a message of thanks to the community for helping the family in their time of need.

On behalf of my husband, Ed, and our two boys, Finnegan and Addison, we wanted to send a giant THANK YOU to everyone. We are humbled and overwhelmed by the love, support and generosity of this community and those surrounding. The events that took place last Thursday were devastating, but it could have been so much worse. We are beyond blessed and grateful to have our family safe and sound —dog included— and to be welcomed into the home of such amazing friends. We lost physical memories which cannot be replaced and we lost the home our boys have been raised in. The rest is just “stuff”.

Thanks in large part to this community and the amazing teachers and faculty at both Cider Mill and Middlebrook, both of our boys are back in school today wrapped in the generosity and love of this community wearing clothes and jackets from friends…some we know, others we didn’t know we had. Arriving to desks filled with school supplies and lost notes but most important, familiar faces, trusted advisors and a sense of “normal” which at this point is priceless.

Words cannot express our appreciation to everyone for helping us through this difficult time. The next year will be filled with ups and downs as we begin to recreate our physical life and create new memories, but with the support of the Wilton community and the communities around us, we’ll get through this beautifully.

Much love,
Edward and Shirley Bergin