Katrina Alvarez

Hi, I'm Katrina Alvarez, and I’m excited to start this fundraiser to support Khan Academy, an organization dedicated to providing a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. With over 180 million learners from diverse backgrounds, Khan Academy transforms lives through accessible learning resources. Together, we can help bridge educational gaps worldwide. Your donations will make a significant impact by: Providing high-quality instructional videos and practice questions to students, ensuring they grasp essential subjects from preschool through early college. Supporting partnerships with schools in historically under-resourced communities, enabling them to implement Khan Academy’s resources for all their students. Every contribution, no matter how small, brings us closer to a future where education is truly accessible to all. Please consider donating to support this vital mission!

My name is Katrina, and my puppy Maxxie is my whole world. She’s just 6 1/2 months old—a Shih Tzu Maltese—and doesn’t understand why we lost our home. Right now, we’re sleeping on a friend’s floor with no lights. I can barely eat or sleep, and I blame myself every day for what’s happened. The hardest part is that on Sunday, we have to leave because the van owner is coming back, and we’ll have nowhere to go. I’ve been having nervous breakdowns trying to handle this, but I’m doing my best not to fall apart because Maxxie needs me. She’s too little to be on the street. She just wants to play and cuddle like every puppy should, and I want to give her the safe, happy life she deserves. I’m raising funds for an emergency motel so Maxxie and I are safe after Sunday, for puppy food, flea meds, and a vet checkup, and to help us toward a deposit for stable housing. Any support helps us get one more night safe. If you can’t give, please share our story. Maxxie depends on me, and I’m terrified of failing her. Thank you for seeing us. We’re not giving up.

My name is Katrina. My 6 1/2 month old Shih Tzu Maltese, Maxxie, is my whole world. She’s just a baby and doesn’t understand why we lost our home. Right now we’re sleeping on a friend’s floor with no lights. I can barely eat or sleep, and I blame myself every day. The hardest part: on Sunday, we have to leave because the van owner is coming back. We’ll have nowhere to go. I’ve been having nervous breakdowns trying to handle this, but I’m trying not to fall apart because Maxxie needs me. She’s too little to be on the street. She just wants to play and cuddle like every puppy should. I’m raising $ for: • Emergency motel so Maxxie and I are safe after Sunday 300 • Puppy food, flea meds, and a vet checkup • Deposit/help toward stable housing Even $5 helps us get one more night safe. If you can’t give, please share. Maxxie depends on me, and I’m terrified of failing her. Thank you for seeing us. We’re not giving up.

didn’t plan to be 43 and sleeping in my car behind a Walmart in San Jose. I had a job. I had an apartment. Then I didn’t. It happened so fast — one missed paycheck, then another, then the landlord’s notice on my door. I sold everything I owned except a backpack, a blanket, and Maxxie. Maxxie is my dog. She’s 12 pounds of loyalty. When I’d cry in the front seat at 2am because I was too scared to sleep, she’d crawl into my lap and press her forehead to mine. She didn’t know I was unemployed. She didn’t know I hadn’t eaten that day. She just knew I was sad. And she decided that was her job to fix. We were homeless for 3 months. I learned where the 24-hour bathrooms were. I learned how to wash my hair in a gym sink before a job interview. I learned that the hardest part of being homeless isn’t being hungry — it’s being invisible. People walk past you like you’re not a person anymore. But Maxxie never let me be invisible. She’d wag her tail at strangers until they smiled. She’d lick my tears when I thought I couldn’t do one more day. At night, she curled into my chest and kept me warm when the car got cold. I honestly don’t think I would have made it without her. Then my sister did something I’ll never forget: she opened her door. My sister is a single mom in a one-bedroom apartment. She’s already raising her kids and taking care of our mom. She didn’t have room for me, but she made room anyway. For the first time in months, I took a hot shower. I slept on a couch instead of a reclined driver’s seat. I felt human again. And now I feel like I’m destroying her life. The property manager found out about Maxxie. We got a lease violation notice. If I don’t prove she’s allowed to be here, my sister could be fined. Or evicted. Those kids could lose their home. My mom could be back on the street. All because I kept the one living thing that kept me alive. My sister doesn’t say anything. She doesn’t have to. I see it in her face when she thinks I’m asleep. I hear it when she’s up at 3am. She’s terrified, and it’s my fault. I feel like I’m losing my mind. I can’t sleep. My head pounds every day. The guilt is eating me alive. I love my sister so much, and I’m the reason she can’t rest. I’m the reason she might lose everything. So here I am, begging for a chance to fix this before I break my family. Saturday, I’m taking the bus with Maxxie in a backpack to get her rabies shot. I don’t have a car. I don’t have $19. But I’ll figure it out, because that piece of paper is what the landlord needs. I’m calling 211 to find a doctor who will write that Maxxie is my emotional support animal. Not because I want special treatment. Because it’s the truth. She’s the reason I’m still here. She’s the reason I’m applying for jobs instead of giving up. I’m not asking you to feel sorry for me. I’m asking you to help me protect the sister who saved me. If you can spare $5, it puts me on the bus to the vaccine clinic so my sister can sleep. If you can spare $19, it gets Maxxie legal so my sister doesn’t get evicted. If you can’t spare anything, sharing this means my sister knows people see us. And maybe she can breathe again. My name is Katrina Alvarez. This is Maxxie. We didn’t mean to become a burden. We just wanted to survive. Help me show my sister she didn’t make a mistake letting us in. If you’ve ever been loved by an animal when you felt unlovable… if you’ve ever been a single mom scared of losing your kids’ home… you already know why this matters. Thank you for letting us be seen. — Katrina & Maxxie San Jose, CA | May 22, 2026

Hi, my name is Katrina and I’m 43, currently living in San Jose. Right now I don’t have a home, a car, or steady work. On cold nights or when I’m sick, I’m lucky to crash on a friend’s couch. Most nights I sleep in my friend’s car just to have a safe place to close my eyes. I’m not asking for a handout—I’m asking for a tool to work. If I had a car, I could start working right away. I’m ready to sign up for DoorDash and use my scooter until I can afford something bigger, but a reliable car would let me take more jobs, work any shift, and get to interviews I can’t reach by bus. Here’s my plan: 1. Work: Use the car to do delivery gigs and apply for steady jobs I can’t get to right now. 2. Save: Every dollar I earn goes toward a deposit for a small room or studio. 3. Grow: Once I’m stable, I want to go back to school and level up my skills. I’m tired of feeling stuck and like I have no future. I miss making music and I want to get back to it, but first I need a foundation. A car isn’t just a car for me—it’s a way to get to work, a safe place on rainy nights, and the first step toward housing. How you can help: Anything you can give will go directly toward a reliable used car, insurance, and registration. If I get this chance, I promise to pay it forward. I know what it’s like to have nothing, and I want to be someone who can help others when I’m back on my feet. Thank you for reading my story and for any help you can give. Even sharing this means the world to me. — Katrina

Help Me Get Back on My Feet with a Car So I Can Work Hi, my name is Katrina and I’m 43, currently living in San Jose. Right now I don’t have a home, a car, or steady work. On cold nights or when I’m sick, I’m lucky to crash on a friend’s couch. Most nights I sleep in my friend’s car just to have a safe place to close my eyes. I’m not asking for a handout—I’m asking for a tool to work. If I had a car, I could start working right away. I’m ready to sign up for DoorDash and use my scooter until I can afford something bigger, but a reliable car would let me take more jobs, work any shift, and get to interviews I can’t reach by bus. Here’s my plan: 1. Work: Use the car to do delivery gigs and apply for steady jobs I can’t get to right now. 2. Save: Every dollar I earn goes toward a deposit for a small room or studio. 3. Grow: Once I’m stable, I want to go back to school and level up my skills. I’m tired of feeling stuck and like I have no future. I miss making music and I want to get back to it, but first I need a foundation. A car isn’t just a car for me—it’s a way to get to work, a safe place on rainy nights, and the first step toward housing. How you can help: Anything you can give will go directly toward a reliable used car, insurance, and registration. If we can raise [$X,XXX], that covers a car that can pass inspection and get me on the road. If I get this chance, I promise to pay it forward. I know what it’s like to have nothing, and I want to be someone who can help others when I’m back on my feet. Thank you for reading my story and for any help you can give. Even sharing this means the world to me. — Katrina