A local woman has begun a crowdfunding campaign to help her mother and stepfather pick up the pieces after a devastating fire.

Rhonda Eidem began the campaign on GoFundMe in June and has already received more than a quarter of her goal donations.A fire broke out at the home around 4:30 p.m. June 19 on the 600 block of Dinkey Road in Lehighton. Crews battled the blaze for more than three hours but were unable to save the home. Neither of the residents were harmed, but they were only able to save a few of their belongings. Their three cats perished in the fire. A truck the couple owned was also destroyed. The couple has stayed with Eidem since then."It's devastating," Eidem said. "I hate to see my mother start over at 79."Eidem said that though her mother and stepfather have begun to receive help and donations, there is still a great deal more to do."They need everything from furniture to towels to a bedroom set, everything."Eidem said one of the hardest things to deal with is the fact that so many hard-to-replace items were lost in the fire, including keys to locked items and documents containing personal information.Eidem appreciates all the help and support she and her family have received."Help is out there and we appreciate everything everyone has done so far. Any type of help is wonderful."She said that in addition to financial support, they have received a great deal of moral support."It's been an outpouring. All the prayers and thoughts have made it a little easier."Eidem said that in addition to the GoFundMe contributions, her parents have received other donations as well.People have reached out to her to donate items like clothing, a dining set, clothing and a gift card to Walmart.She said that the gift card helped, as some of the clothing donations, though generous, didn't fit her parents.In addition, Eidem said the Red Cross has been helpful in keeping the couple healthy. Both her mother and stepfather have health problems, but were able to get help in receiving medication from the Red Cross.Eidem also said that the couple has found a new place to move to soon and has recently been approved for a loan to help get them back on their feet.She said help is still needed as expenditures, such as rent and replacing what still needs to be replaced, will add up quickly.Anyone who wishes to donate to help the couple should visit Eidem's GoFundMe page at

https://www.gofundme.com/gbfbtg-fern-and-leo-scitney or call 610-379-4403 for more information."You don't realize how much needs to be done until it happens to you," Eidem said on the GoFundMe page. "We want to thank everyone who donated and the outpouring of support and kind words from family, friends and people we have never met."