The power of community never ceases to amaze.

The Saulsberry family of Lower Burrell has seen this firsthand as their community rallies around them after they were left homeless when a Sept. 4 fire destroyed their Michigan Avenue home.

Less than a day after the fire, Patrick Elston, co-owner of Gus Franco’s Pizza shop in Lower Burrell, began arranging a way to raise money for the family in their time of need.

Elston and his wife, Mandy, hosted a fundraiser out of their shop just a week later, Wednesday night. In a “grab-and-go style,” Elston said his shop sold around 155 pizzas and all profits went to the Sauls­berry family.

He said some of his employees helped work the event and donated the pay they would have earned to the family.

“The turnout was amazing,” Elston said.

The fundraiser began at 4 p.m., and Michigan Avenue quickly filled with cars as folks lined up for their pizza. Elston said that despite having pizzas pre-made for the rush, the shop sold out within an hour.

He, his wife and his employees, a total of about eight people, continued cooking until 6 p.m.

Elston said even after the pizza sold out, people still gave money for the family.

Owners of Make It Slow, a “suburban homestead” and flower farm in Lower Burrell, attended and sold $10 grab-and-go bouquets, giving all proceeds to the Saulsberrys.

“People were super generous, and it was super heartwarming,” Elston said. “We sold everything.”

Elston’s pizza shop has operated at Michigan Avenue and Leechburg Road for three years. The shop is a few blocks from the Saulsberrys’ home.

Nine people reportedly lived in the home. Two were students in the Burrell School District.

Repeated attempts to reach a family spokesperson were unsuccessful.

“People were calling me because all they heard was that there’s a fire on Michigan Avenue, and they were worried about me,” Elston said. “Knowing that they were worried about me and saying, ‘No, thank God it’s not,’ but then seeing all the fire trucks and knowing the devastation — that could’ve easily been us.”

He said that thought was the inspiration for the fundraiser.

Several Saulsberry family members attended the event, Elston said. They showed up during the last hour to meet him and the others who worked the fundraiser.

He hadn’t met the family until that point, about an hour before he handed them the money from the fundraiser.

“The family was blown away,” he said.

Elston didn’t share the exact amount of money raised, but he called it “outstanding.”

“It was more than double what we had expected or even hoped to make,” he said.

“Once we gathered up all the money and we were able to tell them how much it was, (the family) were kind of shocked and in disbelief,” Elston said. “Some of the best hugs I’ve ever received in my life happened in that moment. We all cried.”

Other fundraisers

Brittne Vickers, who lives down the street on Michigan Avenue, attended the fundraiser at Gus Francos.

Upon hearing about the fire and seeing the burned home, Vickers had begun organizing a clothing and gift card collection.

“We’ve had so many donations,” Vickers said.

In fact, she had to post an update on Facebook asking for a pause on clothing donations.

“We have an abundance of clothing,” Vickers said.

The Saulsberry family is staying in a hotel while waiting to hear back from their insurance company before deciding their next steps, Vickers said.

Despite the tragedy, Vickers said, the Saulsberrys have become “lifelong friends.”

She said a positive thing to come out of a horrible situation is being able to see the generosity of complete strangers.

“Just seeing how the community we live in always jumps in to help in time of need (is a positive),” Vickers said.

The Lower Burrell Flyers youth cheer and football organization also joined in on the giving.

Jessica Horwatt, a board member of the Flyers, said one of the children living in the home is a member of the organization’s “plebe team.” The program hosted a clothing and gift card drive last week for the family.

Horwatt said the four 50-50 raffles hosted on the team’s opening day Sept. 7 raised a little over $900 for the family. She said the owner of a Kona Ice truck came to one of the organization’s practices and donated 75% of profits from the day.

“We also had multiple school districts donate clothing to (the Flyers organization) to give to the family,” Horwatt said. Those districts included Burrell, Plum and McKeesport Area.

“It’s very touching to see multiple communities come together for one cause,” Horwatt said. “Especially when times are not easy for a lot of people and they’re still willing to step up and give.”

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