Help Vanessa & her siblings have aMerry Christmas

Hi. This is Jennifer Kardys-Delgado. Last year on December 23, 2021, many of you helped me to bring a “Christmas Miracle” to a family who had no Christmas gifts for their children - and no ability to obtain money to even celebrate Christmas.

I had an “arrangement” with a religious charity to get gifts for the kids this year (2022) so I wouldn’t have to do a GoFundMe. I made the arrangements in October 2022. After two weeks of leaving messages through voicemail and e-mail, I was told today, Monday, December 19, 2022, that they would not be providing toys because of “accounting purposes”. Basically saying, they didn’t trust that I wouldn’t re-sell the toys or that maybe this family doesn’t exist in the first place.

I get their concerns - but I offered to bring the kids to them, or have a rep from the charity go to their house. December 19th was not the day to have all of this blow up.

There are many, many people living in this one home - because it is the only way people making $7.50 an hour - or less than that - can afford a roof over their heads. There is no furniture except a kitchen table in this house. They have beds in the living room and during the day - the beds are vertical and pushed up against the living room wall.

To proactively answer the question: no - it is not my responsibility to make sure these kids have gifts at Christmas.

But frankly, I think it’s heartbreaking.

If there’s a possibility of helping - I’d like to.

But being a full-time student - I can’t take this on, on my own. Once I graduate in June 2024, I’ll hopefully have the resources to do this on my own.

So my goal is to buy one gift per child. And to get the gifts at Big Lots and Walmart.

OK - the 4 year old, 5 year old, 6 year old and 8 year old - maybe (depending), I’ll get them two small gifts per child.

The twin 17 month old girls - they’re not going to know or understand one way or the other what’s going on.

And the older kids - I figure I’ll give them $25 each because I’ve got NO IDEA what to buy a young teenager.

If you are considering donating - I MUST DO SHOPPING ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 20th AND WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21st. THE GOFUNDME WILL END ON DECEMBER 21ST!!!!

Last year in 2021 - when I bought a vaca fritta, black beans and rice meal for 20 people (there are 13 people living in this house) - it was $240. Now that same meal is almost $265. I would like to get them the vaca fritta meal for Noche Buena 2022 again.

For those of you who donated last year - please don’t be angry or irritated. It’s very hard to climb out of poverty after only one year.

If you’re angry or irritated - I implore you to please think of your own childhood Christmases.

And then imagine being 4 or 5 or 6 years old - and there is nothing under the tree on either Christmas Eve, or Christmas Day. There’s no special meal to celebrate the holiday.

If you can imagine this in your mind…..then you’ll understand why I’m trying to do another GoFundMe this year.

I NEED TO - I MUST - have any Christmas shopping done by Wednesday, December 21, 2022.

In 2021, I spent Christmas Eve shopping for this family because I only found out on December 23, 2021, that they had no tree, and no Christmas gifts for the kids. My own children were very upset with me. They had wanted to spend Christmas Eve day with me baking cookies - and instead I was shopping for this family. I can’t do this a second time to them this year.

Just as with last year - I will provide receipts for everything, with notations indicating what the purchase is for.

Any money that is not used if it’s over $35 - will be returned in full, and split up between donors. Anything under $35 - I’ll use the money to “refresh school supplies” for Vanessa and Jasmine before they start school in January 2023.

Thank you. God bless you. Merry Christmas.

Here are the children’s names:

Paola: 17 years old

Janice: 15 years old

Aracely: 14 years old

Pedro: 11 year old (soon to be 12 years old on January 2, 2023)

Alejandro: 8 years old

Jasmine: 6 years old

Vanessa: 5 years old

Juan: 4 years old

Rebecca: 17 months old

Genesis: 17 months old