Wayne rallies around single mom after fire
Mother of three lost everything in the blaze
After her house in Wayne was destroyed by a fire earlier this month, leaving the place uninhabitable and killing her dog, Andrea Jobst's family have been receiving substantial community support through a GoFundMe organized by a close friend.
Jennifer Graf organized the donation, and has been good friends with Jobst since their children were in early elementary school together many years ago as Graf's oldest and Jobst's middle child are now 19 years old. Graf calls the mother “one of the most genuine, generous, thoughtful people I know.” Graf says Jobst would go out of her way to do simple acts of kindness like making thank you notes and giving flowers to class moms. “She goes above and beyond with thoughtfulness.”
The mothers formed a strong bond as their children attended the Wayne public schools, Packanack Elementary and George Washington Middle School, together. Alongside Jobst's friends, Graf organized a GoFundMe that had raised more than $85,000 as of Tuesday afternoon. “The response we got the first day was overwhelming and it goes to show the person she is, a sweet kind-hearted woman,” says Graf.
Graf says her friend has been very emotional since the tragedy. She writes on the GoFundMe page that the Jobst family was not injured from the fire, but the incident dealt a severe emotional and financial blow to Andrea and her children as they are also grieving the death of their beloved dog Cali.
Graf says the single mother has remained strong for her three children. She continues to work with insurance to try to rebuild her home and is staying with her sister before moving into a rental next month. Jobst broke out in tears when Graf recently dropped off food to her and her family.
The funds from the GoFundMe will go toward assisting the family with temporary housing, clothing, essential items and, eventually, rebuilding their home. Members from the community have also contributed to buying the family clothes, shoes, home appliances and makeup as Graf emphasizes the Jobst family lost everything in the fire.
Graf says Jobst is so grateful for all the support she has been receiving over the past weeks. Graf writes “she is used to being the one who gives and that being in a position of needing help is new territory for her, and she appreciates it more than I can even express in this update.”
Graf hopes more people continue to donate to the GoFundMe, adding that Andrea and her family are starting from scratch after the fire. “Any little bit helps,” is what she would say to anyone wanting to contribute and she herself is thankful for everyone's compassion and generosity.