From farmer’s market stands, restaurants and coffee shops, Southwest Washington businesses are stepping up for impacted families.
LONGVIEW, Wash. — The deadly mill implosion in Longview is sending shockwaves throughout Southwest Washington. On Thursday, the community was just beginning to grasp the full scope of the tragedy. Some people KGW crews talked with said some families were notified Thursday morning that their loved ones were killed in the blast.
“I cried; my husband has worked there for 10 years… so he knew a lot of the guys that were involved and the families, and it felt really close to home,” said Lindsay Dines. Her husband was at the mill during Tuesday’s deadly implosion.
“He was like a stone’s throw away from where that happened. He just sent me a picture of the scene where the cars were on their hoods, and it looked like a bomb went off,” Dines said.
Dines runs a mobile lemonade trailer. Half of her proceeds from this weekend’s Cowlitz Community Farmer’s Market will go toward families who lost loved ones.
“I can’t even imagine what the families are going through, and I think the last thing on their minds needs to be how to pay their bills,” Dines said.
At North County Coffee, Friday through Sunday, all proceeds from the shop’s Kalama and Lewisville locations will go to impacted families.
“We’re all a close-knit community here, and so it’s really sad; it affects everybody… It’s the least that we can do. I can’t imagine what they are going through with their families,” said barista Kaci Huntington.
In downtown Longview, Monica Endicott runs a barber shop where she says many of her clients are mill workers.
“One thing about this community is that everyone jumps in,” Endicott said.
Anyone who shows proof of donating to a fundraiser can enter for a chance to win a free haircut and beard trim from her shop, Classic Barbering by Monica.
“It’s been shocking, it’s been devastating, but I guess the one little light in all of this is how everybody has come together,” Endicott said.
The Northwest Pulp & Paper Association reached out to share its condolences:
“As representatives of the pulp and paper industry, we extend our deepest sympathies to everyone affected by this week’s tragedy in Longview. In particular, our hearts go out to the families of those who were lost, as well as to those who were injured. We also share our support for all of the mill workers and AWPPW union members impacted by this tragedy. We join in solidarity with the entire Longview community, which has lovingly rallied around all those affected during this difficult time.”
Some restaurants are offering discounts to first responders, and there is an account set up at Lower Columbia’s Longshoremen’s Federal Credit Union accepting monetary donations for impacted families.
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