BRAMPTON— Five minutes after he heard about Sunday’s devastating fire that tore through a Brampton townhouse complex and claimed the life of 10-year-old Nicolas Gabriel, Neil Griffin was out the door and on his way to the scene.

The local comedy producer and father-of-two knew he had to help.

Griffin has announced that he will use his regular Wednesday night comedy shows at Pickled Onions Bar and Grill (5 McMurchy Ave.) to drum up donations over the next four weeks.

Running at 9 p.m., the Crack Me Up Comedy series will suggest a $5 donation at the door to see a show that features local and big names in comedy. Tonight, Sandra Battaglini will headline the event and local comedian Terry Clement will also take the stage.

All proceeds will be deposited in the Nicolas Gabriel/Ardglen Trust Fund at www.regenbrampton.com, and Griffin plans to post daily tallies on Facebook and through Twitter.

He’s also putting out donation jars at other events he’s affiliated with— and as of Tuesday morning had raised $650.

“My thought is, if everyone were able to give a dollar, think of the impact we would have. It would be tremendous,” he said.

Griffin says that while he doesn’t personally know anyone impacted by the fire, he feels strongly about stepping up when help is needed.

Gabriel’s grandfather, Brian Smith, thanked Griffin on the Comedy for a Cause Brampton Facebook page.

“I just wanted to thank you for this great thing you are doing. I am the grandfather of the boy and I truly appreciate your generosity,” he said.