Residents on Sprucedale Crescent are trying to come to terms with the devastating house explosion that rocked their Kitchener neighbourhood three weeks ago.
There's still no answers as to the cause of the explosion that left one woman dead and her husband critically injured.
While they wait, residents have come up with a way to rebuild their community.
Brook Greenhalgh and his family launched an online campaign, saying “we need to come together as a community: to cry, hug, laugh, talk, listen, and heal.”
They had an idea they hoped the community would get behind.
“We would like to offer families a bench as a simple gesture of kindness, love and hope, so we may all start to move forward together,” they wrote on their GoFundMe page. “These benches will hopefully encourage people to walk, rest, and visit with each other. We believe this is one step towards rebuilding our community.”
They reached their goal of $5,000 earlier this week.
Residents will decide where to place the metal benches.
The City of Kitchener has also donated 10 wooden benches and set aside $5,000 for future streetscaping projects.
“It’s great the community has reached out and given us the support that we need,” said Scott Stemerdink, another Sprucedale Crescent resident. “The benches are a great idea. I don’t know most of the people on the street but now I know most of them, we’ve all come together.”
