EAST LONGMEADOW – When your home and most of your possessions, save for the clothes on your back, have turned to rubble and ash in a wildfire one could find it hard to pick up the pieces and go back to normalcy.

Eight-year-old Layla Grushka and her mother Autumn lost their home and most of their belongings when a wildfire engulfed their mountain town of Gatlinburg, TN, in November 2016 and now Boy Scout Troop 275 plans on raising funds for Layla and Autumn, the granddaughter and daughter-in law of St. Paul Lutheran Church Pastor Anne Strickert, by hosting a community pork loin luncheon on Feb. 5 at 11 a.m. at the church.

Strickert told Reminder Publications she believes the Boy Scout Troop is “incredibly generous” by hosting the fundraising event.

“We sponsor the troop,” she explained. “That’s the relationship we have and they do a lot of stuff with us throughout the year. The fires occurred the Monday right after Thanksgiving. One of the first things they said the following week when they found out my granddaughter was part of that whole thing … was that they were very happy to help sponsor [a fundraising event].”

She explained Layla and her mother are currently living with a relative in a nearby community that remained untouched by the devastation.  

Two teenagers were charged by authorities for starting the fire, which resulted in the destruction of 2,500 buildings, the death of 14 people as it swept across 70,000 acres of land, she said.

“The fire just sort of swept down the hill,” Strickert said. “When Autumn called me she said, ‘We’re trying to evacuate.’ And I didn’t know why they’d be evacuating. I didn’t see anything on TV about it or anything like that. And the next morning she sent me the pictures and it’s nothing but ashes.”

When the fires started, residents of Gatlinburg weren’t allowed to return to their homes until five days after being evacuated, she stated.

“One of the elementary schools was either burned or damaged with smoke and water damage, so the kids couldn’t go to school where they normally go to school,” she noted.

Strickert said one of Layla’s classmates died in the fire.

“There’s a lot of psychological stuff that’s going to play out for a really long time too,” she added.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency hasn’t brought in temporary housing due to the difficulty with setting up trailers on the mountainous terrain, Strickert said.

“Now they’re worried about what will happen in the spring because there’s nothing to keep the mud from sliding, so they’ll have huge mudslides,” she explained. “They can’t really start any sort of rebuilding because they know there’s no way they’ll get through the spring. So, everything’s kind of on hold.”

Strickert said members of the congregation have supported her family by donating to a GoFundMe page and also by bringing in clothing and dolls for Layla.

One hundred percent of the proceeds from the luncheon would benefit Autumn and Layla. The menu includes pork loin, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, salad, desserts and beverages. Checks for the event are made payable to St. Paul Lutheran Church at 181 Elm St. For more information call 519-7979.