Help and Hope for Jeremiah

"It's good to feel human again". Remember those words.

I met Jeremiah when I was walking on a greenway here in Cary, North Carolina. Jeremiah was living under an overpass and I offered him breakfast. It was then we began a friendship between two unlikely strangers.

Jeremiah grew up in Togo, a West African nation on the Gulf of Guinea. He came to the USA four years ago to study and was successful in developing his skills and talents in the IT world. By May of 2020, COVID took its toll on many people’s jobs including Jeremiah’s. He didn’t have enough money to stay on his feet through the pandemic and became homeless. Insecure and hungry, he has survived by working at any job including fast food, construction, and cleaning, and the occasional donation of strangers. Without a place to shower, a haircut, and a permanent address, steady employment became impossible.  
 



Why am I helping Jeremiah?  Because having met him, it has made me aware of how quickly our secure lives can unravel, through no fault of our own. I took a risk in approaching him that morning (he asked nothing of me) just to see if he'd like some food. His demeanor put me immediately at ease. I'm not sure I've ever met a more appreciative, respectful, and ambitious person that was so down on their luck. A hand up, not a handout. That's all this good person needs. Each day I'm around him it becomes more apparent who is the student and who is the teacher.




He is in a very low-cost hotel at this time, but continues to run into roadblocks finding steady employment because he doesn’t have a permanent address. Homelessness is a vicious cycle! Our goal is to raise enough funds to establish a suitable shared housing arrangement for him and work towards reliable transportation.

With a work history in IT, Jeremiah is pursuing work in that field and is excited to get back to his original career path. Unfortunately, while homeless his backpack was stolen, containing his laptop. We are also working to find a donated, workable phone, as his is fairly damaged. Replacing these items is also a priority.

After several days in a hotel Jeremiah said "It's good to feel human again". Help us get him back on his feet so he can pay it forward. No amount is too small and I appreciate whatever you can donate.

Thank you.