After Fire Destroys Idaho Amish Family’s Market, Dozens Show Up The Next Morning To Help

Two weeks after a devastating fire that wiped out a beloved Idaho Amish market, there is some good news. As expected, the community has rallied behind the Amish owners, the Paul Miller family.

East Idaho News reports on the cleanup efforts, and shares some words from Paul and the Baker Country Market in Lemhi County. Cleanup began the very next day:

Paul Miller owned the store with his family. In a conversation with EastIdahoNews.com, he says watching the business he started 10 years ago burn to the ground was a devastating blow.

“It does something to a person to be needy,” Miller says. “I don’t know exactly how to say it.”

Dozens of people showed up about 7 a.m. the day after the fire (Monday) to help clean up. Miller says at least 20 people were there, and some brought excavators, skid steers and dump trailers to aid in the effort. Many others called to express condolences and offer assistance.

“We could’ve had people running over each other. We had so many more offers,” says Miller. “The emotional support, more than anything, has meant a lot.”

Miller says everything was cleaned up by Monday at 3 p.m.

That part is not surprising; it looks like it was not just the Amish community involved here. This photo shows heavy equipment being used to clean up debris:

Helping The Grateful Family

Also, “multiple people” have contributed funds to help the family. It’s going through a local bank, and there is not a GoFundMe or similar online-based fundraiser mentioned in the report.

From one perspective that is too bad as I think that will limit the contributions they’re able to take in. But perhaps they wanted to keep it local.

A non-Amish customer and friend of the family, Tracy Krekeler, explained that, as summarized in the article, they “aren’t used to being on the receiving end, and the community outreach is hard for them to process.”

Paul Miller was described as “overwhelmed” by the show of support, and the Baker Country Market’s Facebook page posted a message of thanks to the community:

We would like to extend our very sincere gratitude to our friends and neighbors, the community of Salmon and beyond during this terribly difficult time we are navigating. Thank you seems so little to say to all of you. And to the Salmon and Leadore fire departments, thank you.

God is good all the time and even during the tragedies we experience in life, He is always faithful to sustain us and bless us.

From all of us here at Baker Country Market, we thank all of you so very, very much.

Will they rebuild?

In any case, people have been wondering what is in store for the family and the future of the market, a local favorite since its opening over 10 years ago.

In answer to the rebuilding question, the answer is a definite “yes”, and rebuilding has already started, with footers being dug Saturday for a concrete pour for the foundation scheduled for today (Monday).

Miller says it won’t take long to build the outside structure of the new store. Rebuilding the inside will take a bit longer, but he’s looking forward to getting back to work as soon as possible.

So that is great news for the family and community and customer base.

More on the Miller Family

The article also shares a bit more background on the Miller family, who moved all the way across the country to the area over a decade ago.

Based on the report and social media response, they have become a valued part of the community since then. Here’s more on their background:

Miller and his wife, Maria, moved to the area from Pennsylvania in 2014. They were looking for a small community to be a part of.

The Millers are Amish, and Paul says Salmon was appealing because there were several other Amish families in the area.

Miller grew up on a dairy farm in Pennsylvania and had a roadside produce stand. That experience prompted him to open a similar business in Salmon.

“I love connection with my neighbors and, more than anything, wanted to be able to work with my family,” Miller says.

As far as the support they’ve received, Miller says that “we’ve been humbled and blessed at the same time. I really don’t know what else to say.”

Contributing To The Rebuild

Here is the information on contributions, according to East Idaho News:

Those who’d like to donate to the rebuild effort can make a deposit to the Salmon River Amish Church account at Frontier Credit Union, 777 Shoup Street in Salmon.

If they add a GoFundMe or similar online option, I’ll update the post with that, but as of posting this it doesn’t look like they are going with that option.

I hope we’ll be able to share news of the happy re-opening of this business soon enough, and best wishes to the Miller family and community as they bounce back together.