Hi everyone,

I’m starting this GoFundMe to help a family in Mexico City with something most of us take for granted every night: a bed to sleep on.

I met José while visiting Mexico City. He was my Uber driver one Sunday when I ordered a ride from my Airbnb in Coyoacán to church. Even though I was in a foreign country, I still wanted to go.

On the ride, we started talking. I asked him how much Uber actually pays drivers, and what he told me shocked me. Out of the 330 pesos I paid for the ride, Uber only gave him about 50 pesos.

José wakes up around 4am every day and works until about 4–6pm just to bring home roughly $50–$80 USD on a good day — and that’s before gas, maintenance, and wear on his own car.

On my last day in Mexico, José picked me up to take me to the airport. Since I had a 7am flight, I told him I was planning to sleep at the airport overnight so I wouldn’t miss it. He offered to let me stay at his home instead. I hesitated for a moment, but something in me trusted him.

He warned me right away: they don’t have mattresses. His entire family sleeps on sheets laid over concrete.

When I arrived, I met his wife and their three kids — a 17-year-old daughter, a 16-year-old son, and a 13-year-old son. Their home is very small and extremely modest. No beds. No frames. No proper bedroom doors. Just a small living space, kitchen, bathroom, and one room — about the size of an average U.S. master bedroom.

That night, I slept on the floor alongside them. It was one of the hardest nights of sleep I’ve ever had — and this is their everyday reality.

What hit me hardest was realizing they truly live day by day.

When I asked José why his wife didn’t make him breakfast before his long workday, he told me there’s usually only enough food for the kids. They prioritize feeding their children first. And when I saw the kids, I understood — they are very thin.

Yet despite having so little, they treated me with nothing but kindness and respect. José even sent his kids to buy me coffee with the little money they had. They welcomed a stranger into their home without hesitation.

Before I left, I gave them what cash I had and left behind food I was planning to bring back to the U.S. But I knew that wasn’t enough.

So here’s why I’m asking for help.

We are trying to raise funds for:

• One bed frame + mattress for José and his wife

• One bunk bed with twin mattresses for their two sons

• One full-size bed + mattress for their daughter

(4 mattresses total)

• Delivery and setup

I personally will cover the cost of a refrigerator for them as well.

This GoFundMe isn’t about luxury. It’s about giving a hardworking family a place to sleep comfortably at night.

When I told José what I wanted to do for his family, he didn’t immediately accept. He felt embarrassed. He kept saying they manage and that it was okay.

I had to tell him not to feel ashamed.

I shared with him that my own mother lived in similar conditions in Mexico before coming to the United States for a better life and opportunity. I told him that needing help doesn’t make you weak — it just means you’re human. Sometimes we all need a hand.

José is not someone looking for charity. He is a father doing everything he can with very little.

If you’ve ever struggled, or known what it feels like to live paycheck to paycheck, you understand how much something like this can change a family’s daily life.

Even $1 or $5 helps. Truly.

I’ll be attaching photos of their sleeping spaces so you can see exactly what I saw.

Please note: the last photo attached is not their exact home — it’s just something similar. I didn’t take photos inside their home because I felt it would have been disrespectful.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for caring. And thank you for helping one family take a small step toward dignity, comfort, and rest.

— Jonah