CHESAPEAKE —She’s called “Miss Mildred.” The 71 year-old victim of a fire that destroyed her home — the apartment she lived in above the Deeds Family Vision Clinic.

Now some in the

Village of Chesapeake are asking their neighbors to help get Miss Mildred back on her feet.

In the evening of Jan. 5, a fire broke out in one of the upstairs apartments in the clinic building on County Road 1, destroying the structure.

“She has lost everything, her daughter told me,” Linda Adkins, manager of American Health Centers in Chesapeake, said. “The community should come together in a case like this. Her daughter told me she said ‘If they could get me a warm coat and some boots.’ “

Next Thursday, Jan. 29, the chiropractic center is having a benefit for Miss Mildred asking to bring in anything they can from clothing to silverware, dishes, pots and pans, a toaster, blankets, sheets, even a can opener, Adkins said. The center will take in the collections from 6 to 8 p.m. that night.

“People can call me to ask what sizes and everybody who donates we will give them a free hydrotherapy,” Adkins said.

Even help from a dentist would be appreciated since Miss Mildred lost her partial plate in the blaze.

One of Miss Mildred’s way to pass time has been to make quilts, all of which were destroyed.

“If anybody has an old sewing machine, that would be a blessing,” Adkins said. “If anybody has an old guitar. Her husband left her a guitar and she would play it. If someone has one around the house, they don’t play.”

Sizes for some of the clothing requested include shoes: size 6; pants: size 10; and coat: size 14. She also had a cane that was lost in the fire.

“This has been on my heart for a couple of weeks and I had just gotten in touch with her daughter,” Adkins said.