Hardworking, Homeless And Hungry

Let's talk about Edith...Let's talk about single moms, homelessness, and hunger. Everyday people working tirelessly to make a better life for themselves and their families. Let's talk about Edith, a hard working, middle age mother of 3 and immigrant from Honduras. Edith clocks in at 7am at a local post surgical aftercare in Los Angeles; working 5-6 twelve hours days a week. She is not a nurse, she is a caregiver, making slightly above minimum wage. Everyday Edith shows up at her job and begins a day of selfless caring towards others. On one such day, a fellow co-worker reminds her to go to lunch, at which time she replies, "I bought a can of soup from the dollar store but I think someone ate it; I don't have anything to eat." It was revealed that she had not eaten for 3-4 days but her integrity would not allow her to eat the food that was available for the patients. It's hard to imagine people going hungry; often times we know that it is happening because we hear it on the news or through a charity but rarely does it touch our inner circle of friends and loved ones. On this day, we were affected by the sobering idea that our dear Edith and her children were going hungry. With the truth out in the open, we discovered that she had managed to save enough to get a 600sq ft house in Pico Rivera but, unfortunately, it was uninhabitable. With the walls and floors rotting, electrical unsafe, and no working appliances, Edith and her 10 year old daughter lived in her car while she used every dime of her paycheck to try and make this small home livable. She has wracked up a $15,000 credit card at Home Depot, owes a contractor $3000 and still has no home to go to at the end of her 12 hour working day. Pitzer Construction has donated their time to fix the electrical, Skyline Development has offered tile and stone, and the staff at Privé Care has all offered up their time and money to help Edith. We are hoping that with a little help from our community, we will be able to get Edith and her family into a safe and livable home; a place where they can sit at their modest dining room table and enjoy a hot meal at the end of a hard day.