Van Pope has learned who his friends are.

Pope lost practically everything he owned in a Monday morning fire that destroyed the mobile home he and his friend Vance Avalon were living in next to the Lo Sto Restaruant in Eagle Lake where Pope is the manager.

His employers and members of the Eagle Lake community have banded together to hold two fundraisers to help the men recover, with a musical program by Gary James Thursday and Friday and a crawfish boil Saturday.

“When you lose everything like that it’s devastating,” said Cecily Mathis, who owns the restaurant with her husband, John. “We wanted to put this together to help them get clothing, toiletries … whatever they need.”

Pope was at the Mathises’ home when the fire began.

“It was about 9:30,” he said. “I was at John Mathis’ house helping clean his boat, and looked back saw the smoke coming up pretty good. I asked him, ‘Someone burning some boxes?’

“He said, ‘It kind of looked like it’s from the Lo Sto,’ and about that time his wife called and I went to the phone and then took off.”

Pope said his two labs saved his friend’s life.

“He was asleep and the dogs’ barking woke him up. The two labs made it out and he made it out. He couldn’t see to get to the door, that’s how bad it was. Too much longer, and he wouldn’t have made it out.”

Despite being next to the store, the trailer fire did not damage the restaurant.

“I had two propane bottles to heat the trailer, and Vance moved those away” he said. “When I got there, he was putting water on a window (of the store) that helped stop the fire from spreading.

Pope, who played baseball for eight seasons with the Atlanta Braves backing up Braves’ star Chipper Jones, said he lost a lot of his Braves memorabilia and he and Avalon lost all their clothing.

“I had on Wranglers and boots and a shirt,” he said. “The only things that survived were two Bibles and some cash I had over my bed. Some things, like my drills from the Braves, were still legible.”

One of the Bibles, he said, was opened to the Book of Job in the Old Testament.

“I had read that the night before,” Pope said. “I can’t explain it; God works in mysterious ways, I reckon all I can say about it.”

Cecily Mathis said Gary James will play from 7 p.m. until, Thursday and Friday with all tips to the musician going to Pope and Avalon.

The crawfish boil will go on Saturday. She said she and her husband ought a new trailer for Pope and Avalon to live in behind the restaurant.

People who want to make donations can contribute to a tip jar at Yore Country Store on Mississippi 465, or send contributions to Pope at 176 Lo Sto Road, 39183.

Pope, who has lived at Eagle Lake since October, said he has been amazed at the response of the residents to his situation.

“People around here have been very generous,” he said. “I’m not from around here; I don’t know anybody; but it’s good to know that things like this happen. It’s wonderful, because it makes you feel like you’re home, when you’re a newcomer to the place.”