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A friend of Karen Vaccaro Marvin, owner of the fire-ravaged South Shore Paddleboards shop in Babylon Village, has launched an online fundraiser to help her rebuild.
“The Full Draw Family is trying to help a local outdoor family in need,” wrote the friend, Mike Karwoski. “Please take a minute to read the Go Fund Me story and possibly chip in some help! Thank You All!” Click here to donate.
For her part, Marvin, whose business is consistently recognized as one of the best stand-up paddleboard shops on the island, responded by writing, “This is way to much for me to handle… I can’t even comprehend the love and thoughtfulness right now.”
The neighboring Sherwin-Williams paint store and other businesses were also destroyed in the blaze which, according to Newsday, started around 5 a.m. Thursday in the stripmall on East Main Street near Route 231.
In a video posted to Facebook, Marvin called it “a day from freaking hell.”
“It’s not going to be anytime soon that I’ll be opening; I just hope I can get a place to continue the season,” said a tearful Marvin, who also thanked people for the outpouring of support. “The love, and everything, I feel it.”
[Update: Marvin has cancelled her involvement in Saturday’s charge to clean up local waterways through the Save the Great South Bay’s Creek Defender program.]
Check back at GreaterBabylon for more updates on the recovery process.
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