Help Lisa (Pegan) Farner's Family Find a Safe Home Again

My name is Beth MacDowell and I‘m posting this go Fund Me page for my daughter, Lisa (Pegan) Farner and her family have lost most everything when Hurricane Helene raced thru their Gulfport, Florida home.

Lisa and I are very independent people and find it difficult to reach out for help, but when we tell her story to friends and family they immediately ask, what can we do? This Go Fund Me account is the most logical place to start.

Let me tell you about Lisa. She and her husband have three children, ages 12 & 14 and an older son, age 20 living on his own with friends. They moved to Gulfport, Florida seven years ago, so they are no strangers to hurricanes having gone through at least two hurricanes before Helene. They thought they were prepared but the water levels exceeded all their planning.

Lisa has had some health issues this year and until recently has been unemployed despite looking and sending out resumes’ every day. She is without a car so the scope of her job market is limited. One week before the hurricane she finally started a new job in a Gulfport restaurant which she was very excited about. The restaurant was open officially for two days before it was completely destroyed by Helene.

My daughter has the biggest heart in the world. She is always the one cooking and offering food to the poor and homeless. She takes people into her home when they are in crisis, offering what little she can. On the night of the hurricane she and friends were rescuing people from the rising water, yet she still felt bad for one woman swept out into the bay that they couldn’t get to in time. When Helene finally moved out and she and her family were sitting in the hot sun with their soggy pillows, Lisa was walking in bare feet trying to find food sources for those stranded around them. She finally got a food truck to venture close enough to their area to help them. After a day and a half and her Facebook plea for help, the community started to come with some supplies and they saw their first police officer. As yet they have not seen anyone from the Red Cross or FEMA. We understand there are many people throughout the state and country displaced and in need of help as a result of Helene. Gulfport is just a small town south of Tampa. “Supplies” are helpful, but Lisa and her family have no place to live.

My daughter has submitted all the government forms required, but aide is very slow to arrive. Their financial resources are very limited and they have no reserves to apply to the limited rental properties available in the area. This Go Fund Me request is going to help them with their basic need of housing. Every contribution small or large will be applied finding a place to live. We extend our thanks to all of you and wish you good health and happiness regardless of your ability to contribute.