My housekeeper and longtime Redwood City resident, Edith F, has cleaned my house for years. She is a wonderful person who employs a small team of hardworking women from Central America who work incredibly hard and are often the primary breadwinners in their family. Edith pays them a weekly salary even if business is down which provides financial stability to her team.

Early this morning, two of her employees (Reyna S and Xenia R) were shuttling equipment to their work van and someone hopped in and stole their vehicle. There was $500 of cleaning equipment and both their purses were in the van! They had $3,000 that was destined for Reyna’s daughters in El Salvador, Christmas presents for family here, and rent money. They are absolutely devastated. Please keep an eye out for the white van (police report attached).

While there is no disputing there are bad actors in our community, I want to prove to these women that Redwood City is a city of big shoulders. Please consider donating any amount that you’re comfortable with and restore a little faith in humanity for these women.