Hi, I'm Carissa. I live in Asheville, NC, and unfortunately was affected by Hurricane Helene back in September of last year. I lost my job that I loved as a direct result of the storm, and finding another one after a natural disaster that devastated our whole community proved to be quite challenging.

I'm very lucky that my loved ones and I are safe and our homes were not damaged, but 6+ months of unemployment was a serious hit to my finances. I had some financial aid from my grad program that carried me through the last few months, but that has run out.

Despite 6 months of back and forth with FEMA, I never received any aid, and my unemployment ended in December (it's still unknown if I'll receive the other months of unemployment I'm eligible for—ugh bureaucracy, am I right?)

I'm so grateful to report that I started a wonderful new job as a Homeless Prevention Case Manager this week and am officially on the road back to stability! However, I'm short by about one month of expenses as we come up on May 1st, and I need some help bridging the gap.

Any amount will help tremendously, and if you're not in a position to contribute financially, sharing my story would mean the world to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you.