COLUMBUS — When local musicians Margie and Keith Brown’s home caught fire and then was burglarized a few days later in May, the pair lost almost everything.
But at a fish fry fundraiser organized on their behalf this Saturday, Margie said friends, neighbors and strangers have been coming out of the woodwork to help them recover ever since.
“I don’t even know how to feel. Every time I think about how loving and wonderful people have been to us since this happened, my heart is so full,” Margie said. “I don’t feel like thank you is enough. Every time I think about it, I get emotional. … It’s been people of all walks of life who opened up their arms to us.”
Three fryers were set up in Hank Aaron Park for hours, crisping fish and fries to a golden brown for anyone who wanted to purchase a to-go plate to help the couple.
Carolyn Green, the Browns’ next-door neighbor and organizer of the fundraiser, was manning one of the fryers.
“We’ve been neighbors for like 25, 30 years,” Green said. “They’re always giving and supporting, so we just decided to give back. They had a tragedy happen, and we just wanted to support them.”
Green said the fish fry felt like a natural way to help raise money for her friends, since she is a caterer. She was serving pan trout, catfish filets and whole catfish, along with coleslaw, fries and pasta salad throughout the afternoon.
Green said she put out a call to the Original South-Side neighborhood for help organizing the fry. The neighbors communicate through a Facebook group, and Green said the people in it have been supporting their neighbors in Columbus for more than a decade.
“Everybody who lives on this side of town, whenever something happens, we always reach out,” Green said. “It was founded by James Samuel, and it’s just a group of Southsiders who get together and support something. … If somebody passes, or anything like that, we just help them out. We do it all the time.”
Morris Murray, a fish-fry attendee, said he hadn’t ever spent time with Keith and Margie before, but he came out to support the musicians since he listened to them play at other fundraisers in the past.
“I usually go to their concerts and stuff they have,” Murray said. “And I know they’re good at helping people, so I came out today to do the same thing for them. I wanted to be a good neighbor.”
Margie said she grew up in the county, while her husband Keith grew up in the Southside neighborhood. Surrounded by neighbors and the smell of good food, the pair couldn’t stop expressing their gratitude for the many ways others have shown their support.
She said Colin Krieger and Rhonda Sanders organized a GoFundMe campaign on their behalf almost immediately after they lost their home. The campaign has now raised $9,825. She also said another friend organized a cocktails and music fundraiser this past Sunday, which raised about $700 on their behalf.
“We’re not worthy,” Keith Brown said. “And that’s what we feel sometimes. … It’s humbling. Very humbling. And we sometimes think, ‘wow, what did we do?’”
“We love Columbus, and we found out that they love us too,” Margie said.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 48 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 48 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
Join the Discussion