The Annex Residents’ Association (ARA) raised over $3,000 after turning its annual Annex Corn Fest into a silent auction.

“It was a great day. We had a lot of people, because we promoted the event quite well. We had a great participation from businesses around the neighbourhood and members of the community,” said David Harrison, president of the ARA.

The association partnered with Community Matters, a St. James Town community group, to raise money to help residents displaced from their homes by a fire at 650 Parliament St. last summer. Over 1,500 people have been unable to return home since an electrical fire broke out at the residential high-rise on August 21. Property manager Doug Sartell said in a press conference late September that it might be next year before residents can return home.

The City of Toronto and the Canadian Red Cross have worked to find shelter for the victims, opening the Wellesley Community Centre and Regent Park Community Centre. There are also two class-action suits pending against the building owners, the property managers, and Toronto Hydro on behalf of the tenants.

The proceeds from the corn fest and silent auction were donated to the tenants during a ceremony on October 19.

“We are a neighbourhood association and basically our aims and objectives are to improve the quality of life for us and if we can help our neighbours we do that too. We are in this together, we should help each other when we can,” Harrison said.

—Temi Dada/Gleaner News