On October 7, a devastating fire destroyed several small businesses on Market Street in Ballard. Local small businesses are the backbone of the Ballard neighborhood and the loss is felt by the Ballard community.
The Ballard Alliance has established a Go Fund Me Campaign to benefit the businesses affected by the October 7 fire. In addition, the Ballard Alliance pledges $5,000 in support of the cause. Due to the overwhelming community support – and as the extent of damage is being understood – we have increased our goal to $85,000 (up from the initial $25,000 goal).
The support from the Ballard community and beyond has been nothing short of amazing. In less than 48 hours after the fire, the campaign raised nearly $65,000 from more than 450 donors to benefit the businesses affected by the October 7 fire.
All of the businesses that have been affected by the October 7 fire are members of the Ballard Alliance. In addition to raising funds to support the businesses and employees who have been affected by the fire, the Ballard Alliance is also working with the business owners, property owners and various city departments to help ensure a successful recovery.
Process and Plans for Funds Disbursement
The funds raised through the Ballard Fire Business Relief Fund will be disbursed to the affected businesses and employees that have been displaced by the fire. In response to the generous outpouring of support through the GoFundMe campaign, the Ballard Alliance has created the Ballard Fire Relief Fund Advisory Board. This board has the sole purpose of assessing needs and distributing funds in a timely manner to the affected businesses and employees. The advisory board was approved by the Ballard Alliance Board of Directors as part of their fiduciary responsibility to the organization and management of the Ballard Fire Relief Fund.
The advisory board met several times in October and created a method for fund disbursement to affected businesses and employees. The first priority is disbursement of funds to affected employees. To that end, the advisory board is distributing $750 to employees who were working less than 20 hours per week on average, and $1,500 to employees who were working 20 or more hours per week on average
On Thursday, October 31, 2019, $47,250 from the fund was distributed to 38 employees affected by the fire.
One Ballard-based company, Gravity payments contributed more than $20,000 through a combination of business and employee contributions to the fund.
“These small businesses and their employees give vitality to our community, often getting way less credit than they deserve. It’s devastating to see them harmed. Our hearts go out to them, and we are grateful for the opportunity to help. We are rooting for each and every one of them.” said Dan Price, CEO of Gravity Payments.
The GoFundMe campaign will continue for the foreseeable future and will be managed by the Ballard Alliance. The advisory board will continue to make disbursement decisions in the weeks ahead as new funds are raised.
Support for the businesses will be determined in the weeks ahead, once there is a clear understanding of the coverage provided by the various insurance policies associated with each business.
City of Seattle Fire Department
A sincere and heartfelt thank you to all the Seattle Fire Department members who came out and risked their lives to put out the fire and help ensure the safety of everyone in the area. We are forever grateful for your service and dedication to the public’s safety!