My family’s life changed overnight when a fire broke out in our building, caused by another tenant. Our landlord evicted us, and suddenly we found ourselves homeless, living day to day in a motel. I have a 7-year-old daughter who just wants to go to school and feel safe, but right now, we’re struggling to get by and I’m left with confusion about how we’ll move forward. The smoke and ash from the fire condemned our unit, and we lost everything we owned. Since then, I’ve been wearing the same clothes and trying to keep my daughter’s spirits up, even as her birthday approaches and I worry about how to explain that we don’t have money for our room tomorrow, let alone a celebration.

The funds from this fundraiser will help us secure stable housing, replace the essentials we lost, and cover the cost of repairs for our only car, which is how I get my daughter to school. The fire didn’t just take our home—it took our sense of security and everything we had to our name. We’re doing our best to stay hopeful, but every day is a challenge.

Any support would help our family and will be very appreciated. I vow to pay it forward. God bless and happy Holidays. Please be grateful for all you have and cherish it, because tomorrow you may wake up to having nothing.