A hearty thanks should go out to all those who helped the victims of the fire at the DeKalb Center last week.

When members of a community can work together when they see a need, it shows people actually care about where they live and who they live with.

Residents from 13 apartments at the DeKalb Center needed to be moved because of the fire’s damage.

Often the NIU and DeKalb communities alienate themselves from each other because schoolwork takes too much time or people feel the NIU campus is a whole different world.

But in one fell swoop, these excuses were shown to be insignificant by the help the center’s residents received from DeKalb and NIU residents.

The Red Cross, Salvation Army and Phi Kappa Sigma all saw a need and did what they could to fulfill it. Bill Nicklas, DeKalb building and community services director, and 6th Ward Ald. Jamie Pennington deserve thanks as well for their help.

Whenever there is a crisis, it’s great to see a concerted effort put forth by people who may not know who they are helping, but recognize the need.

Those who helped should give themselves a pat on the back and DeKalb and NIU residents should be proud of their neighbors’ efforts.