The second annual Stock the Block drive-through distribution event on June 22 drew more than 1,500 families near Washington, D.C., to receive donations and other services from local nonprofits.

Stock the Block committee members, made up of local young adult congregations from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Lazera Ministries, organized this year’s community distribution event.

“We partner with local nonprofits to help provide both services and needed items to help families in our community,” said Tiffany Osborn, chair of the Stock the Block Committee.

Based on an average household size of five people, the Stock the Block committee estimates that 7,700 men, women and children will benefit from the donations distributed.

“When people are in the midst of poverty and in the midst of being marginalized, their children are experiencing that,” said Yolonda Earl-Thompson, executive director for Lazera Ministries. “We just want to bring a little joy in a little moment so that the kid can be a kid.”

The donations were primarily provided by Good360, a product philanthropy nonprofit based in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, and by the Church. Donation items included personal hygiene items, cleaning supplies, diapers, socks, school supplies and toys for children.

Romaine Seguin, CEO of Good360, said that the organization’s mission is to close the need gap between what goods and services people do and do not have.

The Stock the Block community distribution event “gives [community members] hope,” said Seguin. “This is a day of giving our communities sustainable support, and they can move on and better their lives.”

Donation recipients drove through a corridor of supplies on either side while volunteers helped load their cars. For those without access to a vehicle, a walk-up center was available to receive aid. A free shuttle also traveled through neighboring communities, picking up individuals, driving them through the lines and delivering them back to their homes with their donations.

The Stock the Block committee partnered with the Fairfax County Police Department and other Fairfax County community services and other organizations to provide additional services and spread the word about the event to the local communities.

The more than 300 volunteers helping at the event were primarily from the Washington D.C. YSA South Stake with about 60 area missionaries from the Washington D.C. South Mission. They braved temperatures reaching into the high 90s to help direct traffic, distribute goods and provide translation services to those who needed it.

“While today’s event was largely run by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it wasn’t an incredibly religious experience,” Osborn said. “But for us, it was still a sacred experience because we were able to lift and serve in the way our Savior would serve. We not only saw miracles, we also felt His presence and His love on behalf of the people around us. We do this because we love Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ loves us, and we embrace our responsibility to reflect that love to all of God’s children.”

WASHINGTON – Washington, D.C. is the eighth-best place in the country to celebrate the Fourth of July, according to a new study by WalletHub.

The personal finance company compared the 100 largest U.S. cities based on how much holiday fun you can have on a budget.

The study was based on 18 key metrics, including average beer and wine prices, to the duration of fireworks shows. The study also looked at the Fourth of July weather forecast.

The study also took safety into account, looking at crime rates, DUI-related fatalities, and deadly pedestrian crashes. 

Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, San Francisco, and San Diego came in ahead of the nation’s capital. St. Paul and St. Louis rounded out the top 10.

In Virginia, Virginia Beach ranked 35, Norfolk ranked 51, and Chesapeake ranked 59. In Maryland, Baltimore ranked 41.

WASHINGTON – Families who lived in one D.C. apartment building are devastated after officials say illegal fireworks are what sparked the two-alarm blaze that left them without a place to call home.

The fire broke out around 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Oxford Manor Apartments on Bowen Road in Southeast D.C. 

FEMS says two kids playing with Roman candles are what caused this devastating fire that left 30 apartments destroyed and more than 75 people displaced.

Investigators say the firework landed on a second-floor balcony. Flames quickly shot out, spreading up into the attic and onto the roof, then to nearby apartments. The fire has been ruled accidental. 

Two people went to the hospital with minor injuries but some of the residents FOX 5 spoke with say they are incredibly grateful it wasn’t worse.

Residents were going in and out of the burned building all day long, putting whatever they could salvage into black trash bags. 

Fireworks accidentally ignite massive DC apartment fire that displaced 76 residents

Duane Campbell, who has lived in the apartments for 17 years, says he’s trying to stay hopeful amid the devastation. 

“Words can’t really explain. You don’t wake up and this is something you can plan for. There’s no way. I’m still wrapping my mind around all of it but the only thing I can say is, every day might get easier,” Campbell said. “Today is just the beginning  – the end of this, but everything has a silver lining.”

D.C. Fire is holding a news conference Thursday morning to detail which fireworks are allowed and which are not in the District, ahead of the July 4th holiday.

“This was home,” Campbell said. “I raised three kids here and it’s so unfortunate. So many things…memories that are never going to be replaced. But you put one foot in front of the other. You keep going. That’s life. It throws you curveballs you take a hit and keep going.” 

Meanwhile, Minkoff Restoration shoring up the damaged apartments and guiding residents in safely to recover what they can.

“We’ve been working hard to get the building safe so we can do that. Wrapping the building with a security fence, boarding the windows, locking everything so nobody can get into each other’s apartments,” Guy Tull with Minkoff Restoration said. 

Tull also wants to remind people how crucial renter’s insurance is – a lot of these folks didn’t have it and are at a loss for what to do next.

The Red Cross is working to help those impacted.