AUBURN — Auburn Middle School staff will host a public spaghetti supper in the cafeteria Friday night to raise money for Twin Cities residents who were burned out of their homes earlier this summer.

The benefit will help 15 households that were victims of fires on Summer Street in Auburn on Aug. 19 and in Lewiston’s Little Canada on July 3. The Auburn fire displaced two families; the massive Little Canada fire displaced 13 families in three buildings, including a four-story apartment building built in 1866.

One of the families burned out in the Auburn fire has an Auburn Middle School student, said Luci Merin, who heads up the after-school, Community Learning Center program. One of the Little Canada fire victims is a staff member at the school, she said.

That victim was able to salvage a few things, but most of his possessions, including all of his furniture, were destroyed, Merin said. “We were aware and wanted to help. We wanted to do something for this person.”

But that individual said he’d be uncomfortable accepting help unless all of the fire victims were helped, Merin said. “This person can really use the help. He wanted to share with everyone.”

School staff will do the cooking, using fresh produce from their gardens, and will bring “a lot of wonderful desserts,” Merin said.

The school is hoping for a crowd of 500.

Kristen Vitale, whose family is one of the 13 displaced by the Little Canada fire, said she was “dumbfounded” to hear about community efforts to help. “It’s amazing that people thought of us.”

Others have helped, too, she said. A woman who works at the Getty store on Lisbon Street and others have come together to help them, she said, including donating items and establishing an account at the Community Credit Union.

She and the other fire victims are grateful for the help, Vitale said, adding that it’s needed.

Many of the fire victims have not yet found apartments. The Auburn Middle School staffer Merin spoke of “has had a horrible time,” Vitale said. “He had cancer, and just came out of the hospital” when the fire struck.

The fire was believed to have started on a porch, but officials were unable to determine the cause, she said. Losing their home, their cat and belongings has been overwhelming, she said. “It’s hard picking up and moving on. There is still much needed.”

Go and do

What: Spaghetti supper with garlic bread, salad and dessert; raffles, 50/50

When: 5-7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 7

Where: Auburn Middle School cafeteria, Court Street

Why: To raise money for victims of Lewiston’s Little Canada fire July 3 and Auburn’s Summer Street fire Aug. 19. For more information, email [email protected]