A family of five from Thermal received surprise donations from the community Saturday following the loss of all personal belongings in a house fire in February.
The family met the Oasis Elementary School Parent Liaison, Rosa Barajas, Saturday where they were gifted $500 to replace necessities lost in the fire.
“We came together with Read with Me volunteers and coworkers so we could gather resources so we can provide them with that donation of $500,” said Barajas.
Ana Ceja, a next-door neighbor and Ases Program Coordinator, was one of the people who helped coordinate the donation. Ceja organized a Go-Fund-Me for the family to help them replace special medical equipment, school supplies, and furniture.
“I knew they had lost everything,” said Ceja, “So that night we decided to do a Go-Fund-Me page for them so we could reach out to the community to get the support in any way possible.”
“It was difficult for us because we lost everything, we had no home, and we lived in a small room a friend lent us to live for six weeks,” said Maria Garcia Villalobos who lost her home in the fire.
This was a second wind of good news for the family, in March they were gifted a new mobile home thanks to Riverside County and Mountainview Estates Mobile Home Park.
