NATCHEZ — Two days after losing everything they owned in a fire, one local family has a new residence, furnishings and even a Christmas tree, all thanks to an outpouring of generosity from local residents.

Courtney Smith, her husband and three children lost everything they owned except for the clothes on their back Friday afternoon when their Parkway Drive home burned.

When Tanya Biglane heard about the fire, she felt compelled to help.

“I saw the article in the paper, and that they were at work (when the fire happened) and had these three children, and I thought about it being Christmastime, and I thought about my own children … and my heart just went out to them,” Biglane said.

Biglane shared the article on her personal Facebook page, where she said many residents offered any kind of help the family needed.

“Right away, I had a lot of response from people saying, ‘Whatever we can do, just let us know,’” she said.

Biglane reached out to Smith and began collecting donations Sunday and delivering throughout the day to the family’s new rental house on U.S. 61 North.

“All day people were just dropping things off and putting them on my porch, and every now and then, I would go home and pick stuff up and take it to their house,” Biglane said.

Biglane, Sal Durkin, Natchez Mayor Darryl Grennell and others spent Sunday helping the Smiths get settled in their new house and dropping off donations, “Tanya told me about it, and I just said, ‘We have to do something,’” Grennell said.

The Smiths had renter’s insurance for their appliances and furniture, and Buddy’s Furniture opened on a day the store would normally be closed to deliver new appliances and furniture to the Smiths.

Beds, clothes, toiletries, home furnishings, toys and other items were donated Sunday.

Grennell shopped for clothes for Smith’s husband and dropped them off at the family’s new home.

“I was just really touched by the outpouring of generosity from people,” Grennell said. “I mean, when I was there, there were people inside hanging draperies and helping out.

“The night we lit the (public downtown) Christmas tree (Friday), when I was speaking to the crowd, I told the crowd one great thing we have in Natchez is that we have great people, and it is two days later we see the people of Natchez coming out to help this family and just doing the right thing to do,” Grennell said.

“It’s their day today, but you never know when our day is coming, so we have to be there for each other.”

Smith said she was shocked to open her door and find the mayor at her new house. She asked him to pray over her family and house.

Biglane said it was a touching moment in a day filled with emotions.

“We held hands, and it was us and the guys still there delivering furniture and Courtney and her children and Darryl said a prayer about coming together as Christians to help one another,” Biglane said. “It was moving.”

Smith said her family, who has lived in Natchez for three years, was shocked by the kindness of complete strangers.

“Thank you is an understatement,” she said. “What do you say? Thank you is not enough. This morning when we got here, this house was literally just four walls, but if you see it now, it looks like we’ve been living here. To see that everybody came together for just a small family like us … and to know that we live in a community full of supportive people, and having the mayor show up, I’m speechless.

“It makes me want to be a bigger part of the community and do whatever I can to give back.”

Anyone wishing to drop off donations can do so at 634 U.S. 61 North. Gift cards or monetary donations may also be mailed to that address.

The Smiths are mainly in need of clothes.

Clothes needed include men’s and women’s clothes as well as clothes for a 13-year-old boy, 8-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl.

Sizes needed are:

• Women’s size 7-8 pants, medium to large shirts and shoes size 6.5-7.
• Men’s pants size 40/32, shirts size 3X and size 12 shoes.
• Boy’s size 32/32 pants, XL shirts and size 12 shoes.
• Boy’s size 7/8 pants and shirts and size 2 shoes.
• Girl’s size 5/6 shirts and pants and shoes sizes 13-1.