A Box 5 Association fundraiser brought in approximately $1,500 to help both the Onset Fire Department and a family whose home was heavily damaged by fire in mid-January.

The "Fire & Ice" fundraiser, held at Salerno's on January 28, was a first for the organization, which raises money for community causes and for equipment for the fire department.

The firefighters represented the "fire" aspect, of course. Sculptor Chip Koser brought the ice... in the form of a 40-inch tall and 20-inch wide ice sculpture shaped as Box 5 call box. He donated his talents.

"Chip delivers huge!" said Onset firefighter Derek Fortes, who recruited Koser, a culinary instructor at Upper Cape Regional Technical School. "We thought we were just getting a box and we got a helmet too!"

When an Onset family was displaced from its rental home due after an accidental fire on January 16, Box 5 agreed that some of the money raised through the Fire & Ice fundraiser would be donated to the family.

Smoke and flames were shooting out of the second floor windows of the home when firefighters arrived. The family escaped to a neighbor's home.

The money "is going to help the kids," said Box 5's Michael Sanborn, who was on the first engine that arrived at the fire.

Three children, ages 9, 3, and 2, were affected.

Sanborn's daughter, Jennifer, who teaches in Medford and is friends with the family's neighbor, even got involved with the effort. Jennifer organized a drive at her school and dropped off a car-load of clothing before attending the event.

Tricia Hackett, a neighbor and friend of the family, said she believed the family was able to stay in Wareham. Anyone wishing to help the family can contact Hackett at 774-263-1308.