A friend showed up at Phil Dees' new, temporary residence earlier this week with fishing rods and tackle in hand.
It was for Dees' eldest son, Grant.
"I told him Grant was OK, that he still had some fishing gear," Dees said. "His reply was, 'It isn't about what he needs but about putting a smile back on his face.'"
The Dees family lost their home last Friday night, victimized by a fire that apparently was started by an overheated fuse panel.
"I couldn't be more appreciative of what I have right now," Dees, a Grundy County assistant coach, said of the community's response. "I just have no words to express the gratitude I have for these people, the people of Grundy County in general. I've had people handing me money, bringing over clothes for the kids. It's just hard to believe."
He and his family had just been to Grundy's football game against Sequatchie County. The boys, Grant and Garret, were hungry, so Dees went by the house to get his wallet out of a car they'd left at home. Before they had finished the late-night breakfast at Waffle House, he got the call that his house was on fire. By the time they got home, there was little other than devastation.
A friend offered the family the use of a vacant house. It had been empty for a while, but other friends began showing up over the weekend -- cleaning the house, mowing the yard and just getting it livable.
"It's hard to tell people what's going on," he said. "My wife Cora and I have had people come by that we haven't seen in years."
There wasn't much left of the house, although Dees said he was able to salvage a few pictures, a handful of sports cards (including an Archie Manning rookie card) and a family Bible.
"The Bible was in a cedar chest and the chest was burned. It had curled up around the Bible, but there was just one small mark on it," he said.
District rival Notre Dame has decided to donate all its proceeds from parking at tonight's game against Boyd-Buchanan to the Dees family and also will be soliciting donations at the game.
When asked about it, Irish athletic director Matt Pobieglo said only, "It's the right thing to do."
Grundy County head coach Nick Bryant said fundraisers would be soliciting donations at the Yellow Jackets' next home game -- a week from tonighy against Signal Mountain.
"I've never been one that sought attention," Dees said. "We're blessed enough to have good people around us. I've been trying to write down a list of thank-yous I will need to make. It's already over three pages."
Anyone interested in making a donation can go to www.gofundme.com/DeesHouseFire.
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.