SPOTSWOOD - The community has come to the aid of a family thatwas leftwithout a home after a recent fire.

The blaze,which occurred Jan. 5 in an old Victorian home onMain Street, was enough to wipe out the apartment that Debra Eden, her boyfriend and children called home. Eden had lived there for nine years.

Eden said the family has not been allowed back in to see if any possessions are salvageable. They have been staying in an apartment inHelmetta, after living in a hotel for a short time after the fire. They will be able to find a new home, but they fear that most of their belongings were ruined.

However, the borough's schools and local churches have helped the family tremendously, she said.RebeccaWhite, a first-grade teacher at the Schoenly School,whereEden's 7-year-old daughter attends, helped spearhead the effort.

White said that when she learned about the fire from the school principal, Jonathan Cochran, she sent an email to everyone at the school letting themknowthat the family was in need.

"Just to let themknowone of the kids lost a lot,"White said.

The response was overwhelming. And within minutes, a teacher donated a backpack filled with school supplies, as the child had lost her supplies in the fire.

White was able to collect essentials like clothing, and entertainment items such as a television set. She even collected over $300 for aWal-Mart gift card.

"People also gave gift cards to other stores,"White noted.

White said the parent of one of her other students had a similar experience and felt compelled to help out in a bigway. Sheworks at a local senior center and was able to raise money there for a video game system and games.

The family needed more than entertainment items, though.Eden said it lost kitchen utensils, bowls and other everyday household items.

"The simple things we take for granted," Eden said.

Cochran praised the effort, saying it was amazing how much support the family received and how the school community pitched in to help one of its own.

Eden said the American Red Cross paid for some of the time the family spent in the hotel, and some churches also helped out.

Eden, her boyfriend,Alex, alongwith her daughters, 11 months and 7 years old, lived in the four-bedroom apartment with Eden's older daughter and her fiancé. The family was in the top apartment,which happened to be the one hit the worst. The fire started on the roof and, according to police,was started accidentally by a contractor doing roof work. The flames and water damage caused the ceilings to collapse.

"We lost everything in there," she said. "We don't know what we didn't lose, because they won't let us in there after the fire."

The borough's fire inspector and construction official condemned the building after the blaze, determining that it was unsafe for re-entry until repairs aremade.

Eden said there were no injuries, and everyone got out in time. It helped to have the fire department located right across the street, she noted. But the family has to start from scratch when it comes to personal belongings.

"We had to start over new," she said.