After the devastating 2025 Heirloom Hotel fire that was shown on HGTV‘s “Home Town: Inn This Together,” fans asked how they could donate money. Is there a GoFundMe set up for The Heirloom Hotel? Owners Jim Rasberry and Josh Nowell share their thoughts on donations — and fans offer up ideas to support the rebuild efforts.
Jim Rasberry & Josh Nowell Explain Why They Don’t Have a GoFundMe Set Up
In the May 30 episode of “The Heirloom Podcast,” Rasberry and Nowell discussed the fire that destroyed two years of hard work, time, and money.
They shared that fans have been eager to help and want to donate through a GoFundMe campaign, but they decided that wasn’t the move.
“A lot of people have asked, ‘How can we help?’ It’s meant so much,” Nowell explained. “And we had, early on, like in day one, two, three, the first week … we had so many people wanting to give to us from a GoFundMe.”
He continued, “And I want to say, first of all, thank you. Thank you for caring enough, understanding what a fire does to people financially. That meant and means so much to us.”
Rather than a GoFundMe, he suggested that fans give to their local community instead.
“Our first thought would be find someone in your community who has suffered with fire or loss and fund them, help them,” he explained. “We are grateful for that and I think that would go a lot further in your own community.”
“So thank you guys for offering to do that,” he added. “But that would be my first recommendation on donations.”
Beyond that, Rasberry shared other ways to give back to the community — whether that’s donating to charities or volunteering locally.
How Fans Can Help Support The Heirloom Hotel
Following the “Home Town: Inn This Together” finale, the hotel Instagram account shared one way fans can support them. In the comments, one fan asked if The Heirloom Hotel owners had considered a GoFundMe page.
The owners responded, “Thank you for the thoughts! At this point, we just really expect our insurance company to do the right thing. We just feel it would be an injustice right now to take money from others when we still believe our insurance company should make it right! We love and appreciate you guys!”
In a blog post on the Laurel Mercantile website, Nowell noted, “Many people ask to help us by setting up a GoFundMe. We are deeply grateful for that kindness. However, while losing a building is difficult, it’s harder to lose a home.”
He continued, “Since the fire, we’ve become sensitive to every fire truck that passes. For those who want to give financially, we’d encourage you to consider helping families in your own community who have suffered a house fire.”
Fans can support them by buying a limited edition photo rail made from salvaged flooring from The Heirloom. “We wanted to offer something tangible in return — a small reminder that restoration is possible, and that we aren’t the only ones building for someone,” he added.
In the comments section of The Heirloom Hotel’s Facebook post about the photo rail, one fan shared another suggestion. “I want my money going directly to the rebuild of the hotel! How about people buy tiles that their name will be on,” they offered, noting that the tiles could be displayed in the hotel.
