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The “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” star, who grew up in Sayville, took to Instagram to share a relief fund created to help the half dozen businesses that were damaged in the blaze along the beloved Main Street on Friday, Oct. 25.
“The town I grew up in, Sayville, New York, had a devastating fire yesterday and many small businesses suffered big losses,” the 48-year-old Hart wrote. “I'm donating to the chamber of commerce to help them get back on their feet hopefully in time for the busy holiday season.”
Multiple agencies responded to assist the Sayville Fire Department at around 5:45 p.m. after flames tore through multiple floors of a commercial building on the north side of Main Street just west of Railroad Avenue.
Multiple shops and small businesses suffered extensive damage, including Crushed Olive, Paper Doll Vintage, Boris Barber Shop, Sayville Running Company, and Hammer & Stain.
The upstairs offices of Adrian Fields Counseling also reported damage. There were no reports of injuries.
“Now, as the holiday season approaches—a critical time for these businesses—they need our community’s support more than ever to help them recover and endure through the winter months,” reads the fundraising page for the Greater Sayville Chamber of Commerce.
One hundred-percent of contributions will go directly toward the affected business owners.
“In the spirit of giving, please consider making a donation.”
Hart told her 1.9 million Instagram followers that she realizes every small town has their own local community that they can support.
“But I also know a lot of my friends and classmates still follow me and might want to help out our little town,” the “Melissa & Joey” star wrote.
Those who wish to donate can do so on the Greater Sayville Chamber of Commerce website.
Hart, the daughter of a talent manager mother and a shellfish purveyor father, was born in Smithtown and raised in Sayville. She graduated from Sayville High School in 1994.
She began her acting career at the age of four with regular appearances in TV commercials and, later, small roles in made-for-TV movies.
Her big break came in 1991, when she landed the starring role in Nickelodeon’s hit show “Clarissa Explains it All,” for which she won three Young Artist Awards.
Hart is perhaps best known for her starring role as Sabrina Spellman in the megahit “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” which ran on ABC, and later the WB, from 1996 to 2003.
She and husband Mark Wilkerson live in Nashville, Tennessee, with their three children.
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