When the owners of an ice cream shop lost their home in a fire, Elmwood got hungry

Alex Dalton, Journal Star
·3 min read
John and Kindra Mumma and their son John, 8, stand in front of their restaurant, Toots Treats, at 608 W. Main St. in Elmwood. The family, including daughters Kaydence, 13, and Keira, 11, lost nearly everything in a New Year's Eve fire that destroyed their Elmwood home. But the community stepped up, flooding their business with customers and raising money and other donations to aid the family in its time of need.

For one Elmwood family, 2023 began with a tragedy.

What's happened in the days since has offered John and Kindra Mumma and their three children some amount of consolation amid the chaos of a life-changing accident.

On New Year's Eve, an outdoor wood furnace used to heat their home malfunctioned, causing flames to spread to the house through the basement.

"It was pretty much spitting fireballs through our vents," said Kindra Mumma, a Peoria native.

The Elmwood Fire Department arrived quickly and rescued the family's dogs, but the house was left badly damaged by smoke and water. The family was left temporarily homeless, and they are not expected to move back in until early September. Neighbors Doug and Julie Seeley stepped in to offer them a temporary home.

'A sellout day is just what we need'

A tarp covers up the damaged section of John and Kindra Mumma's home in Elmwood where flames spread into the basement from an outdoor wood burner that caught fire on New Year's Eve.
A tarp covers up the damaged section of John and Kindra Mumma's home in Elmwood where flames spread into the basement from an outdoor wood burner that caught fire on New Year's Eve.

On New Year's Day, still reeling from the fire, Kindra wrote about the family's experience on the Facebook page of the family business, Toots Treats. The Mummas have owned and operated the Elmwood restaurant and ice cream shop since 2021. Its original owners first opened the place more than a decade ago.

"I really don’t know what to do or where to go from here," she wrote, "but I can say for sure we are not open today."

The following day, she announced that Toots Treats would be reopening for one day in a bid to clear out inventory. "I'd love to sell out of ice cream so I can turn the machine off for a couple days and get my life together," she wrote in a Facebook post. "No pressure, but a sellout day is just what we need."

And sell out they did.

Friends and customers packed the restaurant, leaving its shelves empty by the time it closed that afternoon. Kindra Mumma was floored by the show of support. Her original Facebook post had been shared widely among Elmwood residents, who showed up in droves to support a neighbor in need.

"Obviously ice cream in the winter months isn't a hot ticket item," she said. "In the winter, it slows down a little bit, so we were already kind of struggling."

A helping hand

Fire spread from the wood burner along the ceiling in the basement of John and Kindra Mumma's home in Elmwood. Fire, smoke and water damage forced the family to move in to a neighbor's apartment.
Fire spread from the wood burner along the ceiling in the basement of John and Kindra Mumma's home in Elmwood. Fire, smoke and water damage forced the family to move in to a neighbor's apartment.

Carly Turner, a childhood friend of Kindra Mumma's, set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to help replace the Mumma family's belongings. So far, it has raised just over $5,900 of a $10,000 goal. The monetary support is welcome, Kindra Mumma said, because she and her husband have been unable to get their mortgage payments deferred.

Several others have gotten in touch with the Mummas, offering to donate clothing, appliances and other household goods to replace items ruined in the fire.

As a relative newcomer to the area — she and her family first moved to Elmwood just three years ago — Kindra Mumma was particularly struck by the support she received from the Elmwood community.

"I don't think a lot of people knew about us."

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria native endures disaster with help of Elmwood community