Joanna’s Story

On Sunday, May 23rd at 3:35pm, tragedy struck Maple Street in Yonkers when a fire started two buildings down from Joanna Jerez’s house.  The fire quickly spread to Joanna’s home while she and her family were at church.  When they returned to their street, they were denied access to their home.  Joanna and her family had been displaced and almost all of their belongings were lost.

Joanna was mentally and emotionally torn up.  “All we had built was gone.  We were devastated but thank God for keeping us safe.  Knowing we had to start all over felt extremely overwhelming.” Joanna’s family lost nearly everything in the fire including the crib, clothing, high chair, and clothes for her baby boy.

Joanna, with the help from her community (and after draining her savings account), was able to secure a rental for her family, which provided a roof over their heads. However, she was still without furniture and basic necessities for taking care of her son. Joanna applied to Friends for support and we were honored to grant her funding to help get her growing family back on their feet. 

Joanna is an inspirational mother. Her NFP nurse describes her as, “someone who has expressed the desire of being a great mother,” and, “who does everything in her power to provide [her son] with a decent life.” We are grateful to our donors who help us make significant impacts in the lives of our clients like we were able to with Joanna.