A Chester County widow lost nearly everything in a fire. Her new community is helping her start over.
Ashley May and her kids moved into a farmhouse two weeks ago, shortly after her husband died. On Saturday, most of their belongings were destroyed in a fire.
Everything Ashley May and her three kids own can fit into a wheelbarrow. Charred and waterlogged, the remnants of their lives were pulled from the ruins of the Colonial-era barn on a farmstead that the family rents in Kimberton, a small, rural town near Phoenixville.
May, her two sons, and her daughter moved into the property two weeks ago after the sudden death of her husband, Andrew, last month at age 40. The barn and farmhouse next to it were set to be a fresh start.
But early Saturday, flames ripped through the barn where May, 37, had stored most of the family’s possessions as they renovated the farmhouse. The family’s menagerie of rescued animals — including Norman the cow — thankfully survived.
The blaze left the Mays with a few mattresses and about two weeks’ worth of clothing, which they moved into the mostly empty farmhouse that May affectionately calls their “living room campsite.” Now, through the generosity of strangers and a community May was just beginning to connect with, they’re starting over.
“It’s hard for me to accept help; I’ve never done that,” May said in an interview. “But the genuine amount of love and concern is the most amazingly refreshing thing I could ever, ever imagine.”
A rotating cast of volunteers and friends has been visiting May’s property since Saturday, dropping off covered casserole dishes of home-cooked meals, clothes for her kids, and even spare hay and other supplies for her animals.
Neighbors she hadn’t even met came bearing $150 gift cards to put toward finishing the work on her farmhouse. The volunteer firefighters who came to put out the blaze were the first to bring some comfort, providing blankets, coffee, and reassuring words even as the barn smoldered.
Among those who helped was Jess Leonard LoGiurato, who lost her own home in a 2009 fire.
“I just hope that our small little grassroots effort can make a difference in her life,” she said. “I can remember when we needed it, our community came together to help us, and I know the impact these small things can have.”
It’s been a salve to May after dealing with so much tragedy and uncertainty in just six weeks.
“When my husband died, in a time of immeasurable loss and sadness, there was immeasurable love to fill that void,” May said. “And as horrible as it is, there is so much love. And for every bit of sadness, there’s somebody who comes and they’ve got a hug, or a basket of cookies, or just something kind to say.”
May, who runs a construction firm and green roofing business, had always dreamed of owning a farm with her husband. After his death, she sought a place to rent with enough space for her cow, pigs, and chickens to roam. She was open about her search on social media, and a friend told her about the property in Kimberton, which once belonged to the woman’s mother-in-law.
Social media is helping again, thanks to May’s longtime friend Kristin Smith, who started a GoFundMe page that has raised more than $7,000 for the family.
Smith also helped find furniture to replace the pieces lost in the fire. One of the latest, she said, was an antique chest covered in old Boy Scouts stickers — May’s daughter, Sophia, loves the outdoors and is active in scouting.
“I said: ‘This is where it all begins, this is the dream trunk. Put your dreams in there, because your dreams have changed, and this tragedy has happened,’” Smith said. “You don’t forget your old memories, but you have to write new ones, too.”