Hi everyone,

Our names are Jeremy Richardson and Joshua Berden and we are reaching out with heavy hearts and a deep sense of urgency. This past weekend (August 9–10), our home in Milwaukee was hit hard by the devastating floods that swept through the area. In just a few hours, everything changed.

The rain came fast and didn’t let up. Before we could react, water started coming into our basement through the drain. It didn’t stop there — we ended up with almost 7 feet of floodwater inside. Our home was severely damaged. Furniture, appliances, personal belongings, and precious memories… all gone.

But the impact didn’t stop at home.

A large portion of our inventory, for our small business, we’ve worked so hard to build — wiped out. For our family, our business is our livelihood. Losing that feels like losing our foundation.

As of now, we’re still waiting to hear from our insurance providers — but from what we’ve been told by our surrounding neighbors, it’s unlikely much, if anything, will be covered. Flood insurance is only provided by the federal government and this is only accessible for those considered to be in a flood plain. So right now, we’re preparing for the reality that we may have to cover all of this on our own.

We’re grateful that our family is safe. But we’re left overwhelmed, trying to figure out how to recover from something we couldn’t have prepared for: cleanup, repairs, replacing what was lost — is more than we can handle alone.

Why We’re Asking for Help

We’re humbly asking for your support to help us:

Dry out our home

Repair heating/cooling, hot water heater, electrical panel and basement foundation.

Replace essential belongings and furniture

Recover lost business inventory

Anything you can give — no matter how small — will make a difference. If you can’t donate, we completely understand. Sharing this page and sending love means just as much to us right now.

We Know We're Not Alone

So many families in Milwaukee are hurting right now. This was one of the worst floods in our city’s history — rivers overflowed, streets became rivers, and so many homes were left under water. But we’re holding on to hope, and to the strength of community.

We’re not used to asking for help like this. But we know that when people come together, recovery is possible. Every dollar raised here will go directly to repairing our home, recovering our business, and rebuilding what’s been lost.

From the Bottom of Our Hearts

Thank you for taking the time to read our story. Thank you for supporting us, sharing, and sending love our way. Your kindness gives us strength and reminds us that we’re not facing this alone.

If we’re fortunate enough to raise more than what we need to recover, we will use the extra funds to help our neighbors who are also struggling to rebuild after this devastating flood. So many families around us have lost so much — and we want to pay forward your generosity however we can.

With deep gratitude,

Jeremy & Josh

Milwaukee, WI