On June 13, a devastating fire swept through downtown Fitchburg’s historic Johnsonia building. With more than 60 men and women now without residence, one local man is taking it upon himself to organize a charity benefit on their behalf. Darin Boisvert of Fitchburg will be holding a committee meeting on June 27 at Destaré to organize for the upcoming benefits.
Boisvert already has plans to host a food and wine tasting that will showcase local restaurants, wineries and liquors. He has hopes of even expanding to two events, and support for these events has been pouring in. Local venues have already offered to donate space for the events, including Riverfront Park and the Fitchburg Art Museum. The events are tentatively scheduled for the first week of August.
Support has quickly blossomed thanks in part to social media. Boisvert was on Main Street when the Johnsonia building caught fire. He was uploading photos and providing status updates as fire fighters assaulted the blaze, and for many tenants provided up-to-the-minute commentary for their building and former home.
In the wake of disaster, Boisvert created the Johnsonia Building Fundraiser Facebook event page, for which 250 have already joined. The page serves as a group forum to post condolences, event updates, community outreach and further coordination for upcoming events. The group is expected to expand as local involvement continues to grow.
If you are interested in attending tonight’s event at Destaré, the committee meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Destaré is located at 320 Main Street in Fitchburg. Be sure to join the fundraiser Facebook page to stay current on upcoming events.
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