Outpouring of support continues after Dallas community center fire

The huge outpouring of support continues after a community center in Southeast Dallas caught fire and destroyed toys intended for Christmas.

More donations came in on Wednesday one day after a fire seriously damaged the Janie C Turner Recreation Center off Jim Miller Road near Loop 12.

The community's generosity has been incredible. Dallas Councilmember Tennell Atkins has encouraged people to help. Hours after the fire, people were streaming into the rec center filling up a room with toys.

The fire destroyed the Asante Apartments’ main office and incinerated toys collected by Quest 4 Greater Success meant for about 100 children in the complex.

Latrice Patterson lives at the complex. She has a 2-year old at home and an 11-year-old in school. Her new daughter is 6 days old.

"Some people depend on that. Some people really need it. I saw it, and tears came to my eyes,” she said. “I'm a newly mother not working right now. I have to wait eight weeks so really in a crush right now. I really needed it for my family. Thank God they were able to put it back."

People have donated many more toys than were lost in the fire. The apartment complex says now every family with children will receive toys.

“Last year we didn't have no toys but what we got from the center — the only thing we did have,” Patterson said.

The fire burned the apartment complex office, but no one was displaced. About 100 children were receiving toys that were burned in the fire. Many more toys than that have been donated since the fire.

The apartment says as a result of the generous donations, at least twice as many kids at the complex will get donated toys this year.

The Turner Recreation Center will collect toys until 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The toys will be distributed to residents on Saturday.