Tremendous rainstorms hit northern Illinois and Indiana in April causing some of the worst flooding in Illinois history. Jayna (11), Tanaya (7), and their mother Lakeisha were evacuated from their basement apartment in Hammond, Indiana, just before the floodwaters poured in. When they returned home, they found six inches of water throughout the apartment. To make matters worse, the water was heavily mixed with sewage, which meant that everything the water touched had to be destroyed. It also meant that the entire home needed to be thoroughly cleaned before they could move back in. Unfortunately, Lakeisha is a single mom who is currently unemployed. Without any means for recovery, the girls would have to rely on the generosity of others to rebuild their lives. They tried to get assistance from area agencies, but much of the resources were gone or being directed to the elderly. When she reached out to one of the nearby churches, they were unable to help
immediately because their building were also flooded.
In time, the desperate family turned to one of our local partners for help. They were able to obtain some assistance such as clothing, bedding, shoes, toys, and books. The girls were very grateful for the help, but what
really shocked them was that the local volunteers even offered to bring Food Paks to their homes!
In their hour of need, someone wanted to come to their home, bring food, and build a loving relationship with their hurting family. To show you how much your donations encouraged this family, Annette said, “When
we arrived, Lakeisha and her girls were so happy, the girls kept hugging us! They were overjoyed
with everything we brought over!”
After three days of hard work, Jayna, Tanaya and their mother had cleaned, sanitized and
dried their home. Although everything is still not back to normal, they now have new friends
who will continue to visit them, bringing Food Paks and encouraging them as they move forward.
51,600 meals were distributed in the Midwest during the second quarter of 2013.
Remember, 100 percent of all donations made to the USANA True Health Foundation ALWAYS go toward changing lives across the world.
