Grays Ferry neighbors are grappling with the garage collapse, as demolition and the search for the missing workers continues

As demolition of the partially collapsed Grays Ferry parking garage rolled into Sunday, neighbors struggled to find normalcy.

The deadly collapse of the under-construction Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia garage last week killed ironworker Stepan Shevchuk and left two others, Matthew Kane and Mark Scott Jr., missing in the rubble, according to Philadelphia’s Ironworkers Union Local 401. While crews laboriously worked to demolish the unstable seven-level structure and find the bodies of the workers, who are presumed dead, a stretch of the South Philadelphia neighborhood — which includes a grocery store, a post office, and a bank — has been cut off.

Pedestrians and traffic continued to be diverted around Grays Ferry Avenue from 29th to 31st Streets, while a key commercial area, the Grays Ferry Shopping Center, remained closed. With mobility and access to food limited for residents, the city hosted a food drive Sunday at a recreation center, while Mayor Cherelle L. Parker and Council President Kenyatta Johnson, whose district includes the neighborhood, visited homes nearby. A line of people wrapped around the block, as the tired crowd grappled with the weight of the tragedy.

Hunger brought Fritz Blaw, 67, to the food drive. A worker at the shuttered shopping center, Blaw said he hasn’t worked since Wednesday afternoon, when a piece of the garage’s precast concrete roof “failed” and fell, reverberating through the neighborhood like a crack of thunder.

“I don’t work, I don’t get paid,” he said. “I need food.”

It’s unknown how long the demolition of the garage and recovery of the missing workers’ bodies will take, and officials have been reluctant to give a timeline as the structure’s stability must be continually evaluated throughout the process.

It’s also unclear how long the businesses will be forced to remain closed; an email to the mayor’s office asking when the strip mall may reopen was unreturned Sunday.

Metro Philly Management, which operates The Fresh Grocer of Grays Ferry, could not be immediately reached by phone Sunday. Spokespeople for Wakefern Food Corp. — whose brands include The Fresh Grocer — and McDonald’s, which has a location in the area, did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment. A spokesperson for Chase Bank said they were receiving daily updates from the shopping center’s landlord and the city.

Blaw hoped to find protein and carbs among the food drive’s offerings, like meat and beans or rice and pasta, to ease the bad taste of a disaster he said was preventable.

“We have been protesting this from the beginning, and it was rushed through; there was no chance to give them feedback,” Blaw said, of the CHOP garage, as he waited in line at D. Finnegan Playground. In the aftermath of the collapse and amid demolition, the whirl of helicopters and dust is constant, he said.

“They took a place where people brought their dogs and watched the sunset together and made it into a garage,” he said. “They moved fast, … and they hurt real people.”

The veterinary clinic PAWS was among the affected businesses. About 30 animals were relocated from PAWS’ Grays Ferry location on Wednesday to other facilities and foster homes throughout the city, according to executive director Melissa Levy.

Levy said the animal welfare group has been in daily contact with the city’s emergency management office and expects it will be a couple days before the facility is safe to reenter. She said dust and debris have likely been kicked up from demolition, and cleanup will take additional time.

For now, she said, the animals — many of whom were sick — are doing fine.

“Our hearts and our minds are with the victims and their loved ones,” she said. “This has been a tragic situation from every angle. Our team is still trying to process what they experienced and is eager to get back to work to support the community.”

» READ MORE: Crews begin demolition of collapsed Grays Ferry garage

Anai Flores, who was picking up bottled water at the food drive, said she’s been kept awake at night by earthquake-like shaking from the demolition. Chores have piled up because of her lack of sleep, but she said her inconveniences pale in comparison to the magnitude of lives lost.

“It’s hard, but we need to be more patient,” Flores, 35, said. “Something really tragic just happened and we have to buckle in and bear through it, instead of losing our patience.”

Tanesha Ballard, 32, also said she’s had trouble sleeping; she’s avoided parking lots and sworn off parking garages, fearing one could cave in with her inside.

“I feel guilty when I’m here laughing with my son,” knowing the workers are still missing in the ruins, Ballard said.

Jakub Foster lamented the blocked streets and having to keep his 2-year-old from going outside. Foster, 32, said his family ran out of vegetables days ago and his home randomly shakes — all because of a parking garage “no one wanted in the neighborhood,” he said.

“It’s depressing, really,” Foster said. He added: “Hopefully, whatever happens, there is some sort of meaningful dedication to the workers who lost their lives.”

As of Sunday afternoon, a wrecking ball had toppled most of what remained of the building and scattered slabs of broken concrete. Crews have had to slowly and meticulously demolish the extremely weakened structure to prevent further collapse, in hopes of recovering the missing workers’ bodies.

“Our goal is to not hurt anyone else on this site while we provide the dignified and respectful treatment of those who remain and we get them home,” Philadelphia’s Managing Director Adam Thiel said at a news conference late Saturday.

Local 401 identified the missing men Saturday in a since-edited social media post. Attempts to contact their families were unsuccessful Sunday.

In a tribute posted on Facebook and shared with The Inquirer, Kane was described as a doting father and an avid Philadelphia sports fan with “unmatched passion.” According to the union’s website, Kane was a member of its examining committee.

“To know Matt was to know unwavering loyalty, strength, and kindness,” the post read. “He was the kind of friend who would show up without hesitation — no questions asked — whenever someone needed help. His presence brought comfort, his laughter brought light, and his word was something you could always count on.”

According to a GoFundMe, which had raised more than $3,000 as of Sunday afternoon, Shevchuk immigrated to the United States from Ukraine 11 years ago. Shevchuk “worked hard building a future,” the fundraiser says.

City leaders have promised a thorough investigation into what caused the garage to collapse. The garage — meant for hospital workers to more easily drive to work — proved controversial and was scrutinized for its scale; the building would be by far the largest new freestanding garage built in recent Philadelphia history.

Staff writer Mike Newall contributed to this report.