Grade Seven students at an Ottawa school were serving up dinner Thursday night in an effort to raise money for a family that was devastated and left homeless after a fire ripped through their Caldwell Avenue home and killed their two-year-old son, almost two months ago.
Fatuma Hersi and her seven children were at home when the blaze broke out March 31. Abdi Ali, the children's father, was working at the time of the incident.
Ali says his children are now slowly coming to terms with the death of their youngest sibling, Khalid.
He says their faith as well as support from the community is helping the family deal with the pain of losing a child.
"We have to say thank you again for (the support) and we are happy to see all the people that care," Ali told CTV Ottawa.
Students at Fisher Park Public School say they were driven to help the family after the tragic fire and spent several weeks organizing the dinner.
"We're getting happiness out of this because we know they're getting happy," said Zander Fraser, one of the students involved in the fundraiser.
"I know if I lost my little brother, I would be really, really sad," added student Kai Hoedeman.
The event was expected to raise about $3,000 for the family.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Kate Eggins
