Support grandmother of longtime Altadena Black Family

Hello, my name is Stephanie Leah. I am an urban farmer. I install edible gardens for families. I am also an L.A. native. My grandmother was a huge help to me as a single mother while I pursued my education. I have a masters in Urban Sustainability. She was a great inspiration to me and my cousins. We are reaching out for our 95-year-old grandmother, who was evacuated from her senior living apartment complex in Altadena on Woodbury Rd. The fire didn’t directly damage the apartment building; however, her refrigerator stopped working when the power went out. She still doesn’t have hot water and her food had to be thrown out. She is on SSI and EBT to survive during regular times. Upon returning to her apartment, we discovered her schizophrenic grandson was living in the unit. He defecated all over the unit, ruined the plumbing, and left the unit uninhabitable for my ailing grandmother. We also discovered she was having issues walking because she had not clipped her toenails for years, and they were growing into her skin, causing an infection.

We need assistance with a new or gently used refrigerator and its delivery. A cleaning crew. Trip to the podiatrist because we cannot wait for a referral from Medicare, special shoes, prepared meals until she gets a new refrigerator, new deadbolt so she can keep her grandson from returning, new or gently used walker, Depends, new or gently used couch and a telephone. That’s all I can think of now.

My grandmother, Mimi, is known around the community as the neighborhood nanny. Her family was among the first Black families in the Altadena, Pasadena area. She never drove but walked everywhere so maybe you’ve seen her throughout the years. She prides herself on being very independent, but this tragedy has already affected her health and spirit. Please give whatever you can; every dollar makes a huge difference to her.