Effort to help support Center Point family displaced by fire exceeds expectations

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A woman donates clothes to Brenda Hughes on Tuesday to help a family that lost their home in a Center Point fire on Sunday.

When Brenda Hughes heard the news that one of her employees had lost their home in a fire on Sunday, she sprang into action and she may have just found a new cause to carry onto the Kerrville City Council. 

The Walters family lost everything in a fast-moving fire that destroyed their Center Point home on Sunday afternoon.

Ray Walters, the patriarch of the family of five, works at Buzzie's Bar-B-Q, which Hughes owns with her husband, Buzzie. He only started working at the Schreiner Street barbecue institution earlier this year, but he's garnered plenty of support from the family. 

"They don't even have a nail clipper left," said Brenda Hughes about the family's plight in the aftermath of the fire. 

So, Hughes turned to Facebook — along with her network of allies at Kerrville Pets Alive! and other organizations — to lead a drive of just about everything needed for the family to get back on their feet. The fire not only destroyed all of their belongings but killed the family's pet cat. 

In the banquet room of the restaurant, there were piles of men's clothes, women's clothes, and clothes for two teenage children. 

On Tuesday alone more than 40 people showed up to help, including Mike and Delayne Sigerman. It was Delayne Sigerman who Hughes beat for Place 4 on the Kerrville City Council. People showed up with furniture, clothing, household goods but they also came with gift cards and cash. 

Along the way, as she surveyed the huge mound of donations, Hughes said that she realizes that the family will not be able to utilize all of the donations, and that's led her to a belief that there should be a community-focused disaster stockpile. 

"I know there's going to be another fire again and a family will lose everything," Hughes said. "If we could have a building where this could be kept and where we could help people." 

In the interim, Hughes is still directing an effort to make sure the family can get back on its feet. Other small businesses and families have donated to the cause, and in the end, one displaced family has felt the power of community, along with plenty of holiday spirit. 


Kerrville City Councilwoman Brenda Hughes looks through donated gift cards and cash for a Center Point family that was displaced by a house fire on Sunday. Below are just some of the donations provided to the family. 



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