Help Alyssa recover from Fire

Alyssa, our dear friend and co-worker, had her home destroyed last month by the CZU Santa Cruz wildfire.   Some of you may know Alyssa from Cabrillo College or UCSC;  or you may have enjoyed seeing her creative costume designs at local events like the Dickens Universe, the Renaissance Fair or Santa Cruz Halloween; or maybe you are one of the thousands of students that she has helped with Student IDs at her job.  You know that she is bright and agreeable and always ready to lend a helping hand.  But now Alyssa needs our helping hands to recover from the loss of her home and belongings due to the wildfires that raged through Santa Cruz county this summer.

Alyssa loved her former home, a rented space at the Harper family farm, north of Davenport, with lots of friends,  animals and hiking trails all around. 



She had a peaceful environment there to pursue her hobbies:  she makes costumes, is an avid reader and a movie buff.  But the fires destroyed her costumes and materials; and it wiped out her book collection, including the special ones that were signed by her favorite authors; and it burnt up her movie collection, too, along with most of her belongings.

Unfortunately, she does not have insurance to help her recover from these losses.  And, even before the fires, her work hours had been reduced to part-time after the covid pandemic, making it even harder for her now to find the resources to bounce back from this.

In spite of her losses, Alyssa remains positive.  Fortunately, she happened to be out of town when the fires struck, so she and some of her essentials were spared from destruction.  She is now staying with friends temporarily, so she has a safe place to live for now.

Please take some time to count your own blessings -- and then make a donation to help Alyssa!  With these funds, she can pay move-in expenses (first month, last month, security deposit) for a  new home.  And although, sadly, many of her belongings that were unique and had sentimental value can never be replaced, your donations will help her to fund at least some of the basics that were lost (clothing, furniture, kitchenware). 

This go-fund-me is brought to you by Alyssa Herring's co-workers at the Bay Tree Bookstore.  It was written by me, her co-worker Nathan Ciarleglio.  We have known Alyssa for a number of years, and we know that she's  the kind of strong, resourceful, large-hearted person who will bounce back from this better than ever.  Would you please join us in helping her to do that?  Together we can reach the goal!  Please share the link if you can.  Thank you!