It was like a real-life Little Orphan Annie story. When Hurricane Irma took out the power at the shelter where 70 foster kids were taking shelter, millionaire Marc Bell and his wife kindly opened up their mansion to them.
The kids had been evacuated from their home at the SOS Children's Village in Florida to a gymnasium where they had been for five days when the facility lost power and the kids needed to be moved somewhere else. This time the organization called one of its members of the board of directors for help: Marc Bell.
"They hadn't showered in five days," Bell told KHOU. "No laundry in five days. They were starving! Never seen so many kids so excited by pizza pie in my life. Twenty of them disappeared in seconds!"
Bell and his wife were happy to open their Boca Raton home to the underprivileged kids. The Bell's home seems to be the perfect place for kids to hang out, given the whimsical and enticing decor, which includes a Call of Duty room, a game room with vintage arcade games, and, of course, a swimming pool. The famed Star-Trek memorabilia was off limits though, Bell put up "do not touch" signs on the collector's items, according to the Miami Herald.
The kids ended up staying with the Bells for three days. While with the family, the kids were treated to mani-pedis, visits from musicians, balloon-animal experts and more fun stuff.
"We celebrated three birthdays, two doctor visits and a tooth fairy," Bell explained. "It takes a village."