Keys Evacuees Need Help To Go Home
Donation protected
Our life has been forever changed due to Hurricane Irma. Before this weekend, we were a hard working family of four living on 2 small sail boats in Marathon in the Florida Keys. Now we have lost both boats/homes and everything that didn't fit in the trunk of our car.
We love living in the Keys. The smell of the sea air, the mangroves, everything! Kein (11) was about to be signed up for the Young Eagles, and he was so excited. Joseph (20) just moved back home with us and had already found a job and his own boat. Nick (47) works in property maintenance. Dawn (48) works as a cook and a cashier. But last Wednesday we knew we had to leave our home to escape the wrath of Hurricane Irma and keep our family safe. We didn't have much time, and only one car could make the journey, so we had to leave Nick's van (with all of his tools inside) in Marathon. We made it to Homestead the first night and then Thursday morning around 1:30am headed to Dawn's friend's house in Mooresville, NC. Normally this would be a 12 hour drive from Miami. We arrived at 10am on Friday. That's 3 days in the car - four people and 2 cats. We had to stop for the night Thursday night because we were so exhausted from sitting in the car for over 12 hours. Hotels are expensive. So is gas. Especially when you live paycheck to paycheck and didn't have time to save up for the trip.
We arrived in Mooresville, NC and immediately froze from the weather. We weren't expecting cold weather! Luckily Dawn's friend had left us directions to WalMart so we got back on the road and picked up a few things. Saturday Dawn made some Key Lime pies and her friend posted it on the Next Door app to see if she could sell enough pies to pay for the hotel and gas on the way up. The orders flew in and Dawn has been baking pies non stop ever since. Joseph used the app and found some work this week too. We believe you have to work for what you have. This post is difficult for us to do, but we know we will need much more money than pies can provide. We need to buy 2 boats, another work van, tools for Nick, clothes for everyone, kitchen equipment for Dawn, and the list goes on.
Any contribution you can make would be so greatly appreciated.
We love living in the Keys. The smell of the sea air, the mangroves, everything! Kein (11) was about to be signed up for the Young Eagles, and he was so excited. Joseph (20) just moved back home with us and had already found a job and his own boat. Nick (47) works in property maintenance. Dawn (48) works as a cook and a cashier. But last Wednesday we knew we had to leave our home to escape the wrath of Hurricane Irma and keep our family safe. We didn't have much time, and only one car could make the journey, so we had to leave Nick's van (with all of his tools inside) in Marathon. We made it to Homestead the first night and then Thursday morning around 1:30am headed to Dawn's friend's house in Mooresville, NC. Normally this would be a 12 hour drive from Miami. We arrived at 10am on Friday. That's 3 days in the car - four people and 2 cats. We had to stop for the night Thursday night because we were so exhausted from sitting in the car for over 12 hours. Hotels are expensive. So is gas. Especially when you live paycheck to paycheck and didn't have time to save up for the trip.
We arrived in Mooresville, NC and immediately froze from the weather. We weren't expecting cold weather! Luckily Dawn's friend had left us directions to WalMart so we got back on the road and picked up a few things. Saturday Dawn made some Key Lime pies and her friend posted it on the Next Door app to see if she could sell enough pies to pay for the hotel and gas on the way up. The orders flew in and Dawn has been baking pies non stop ever since. Joseph used the app and found some work this week too. We believe you have to work for what you have. This post is difficult for us to do, but we know we will need much more money than pies can provide. We need to buy 2 boats, another work van, tools for Nick, clothes for everyone, kitchen equipment for Dawn, and the list goes on.
Any contribution you can make would be so greatly appreciated.
Organizer
Dawn Harris McGill
Organizer
Marathon, FL
