Get grieving Celeste’s lights back on!

Hi I’m Amber, a neighbor, friend and fellow mother with Celeste in South Berkeley.

It’s hard to focus on one story with so much global tragedy and additionally local heartbreak attached to a city that pinches out people’s existence everyday as it “grows”.

In the case of Celeste, her and her family are currently living in a semi-transitory state. Ever since PG&E shut off their power they’ve been forced to hop around from house to house in order to have access to hot showers and power: the bare minimum to keep the daily motions of work and school intact.

I would also like to add that while drafting this gofundme, Celeste lost her mother. Any ability to gain progress in tackling this debt has no doubt been set back in an extreme way. It is my hope that enough money can be raised this week so she can have her power turned back on for her return home.

More about Celeste and what’s going on:

Celeste is a baker and general day to day hustler, often working double shifts multiple days a week. After a series of health and material set backs she found herself in an inescapable debt with PGE. Despite her medical struggles she still pushed through with multiple jobs in attempts to keep up. In an effort to resolve her debt with PGE, she signed up for a punitive payment plan that proved to be inflexible in regard to late payments, and subsequently she was discharged from the program. By using deceptive language, PG&E is able to wipe their hands clean and say they tried, while leaving the debtor with their debt intact and no way to turn back on their power without paying their debt in full. This program’s failure rate must be undoubtedly high if it doesn’t accommodate the inconsistencies often attached to one’s income who might find themselves unable to pay their bills in the first place.

How much should a hard-working person have to suffer due to unfortunate circumstances? Why should we have to ask that question when we all have a right to keep our families warm and safe,

with running water and power. I recognize Celeste as one of the hardest working people I know. She is also a bad ass mom and a general caring and active member in her community. No one should exhaust themselves to the extent that she does and be left in the dark.

Celest is hesitant to have me make this. She is prideful and also aware that her struggles are a common ones. This does not mean she’s any less deserving of help. It’s true, we are all struggling to make ends meet when inflation doesn’t seem to match our income. It’s very relatable and it becomes dreadfully clear how easy it would be to slip into the impossible cycle of poverty.