Restore Hope for Davida Wheeler (Zilla)
Donation protected
Our dear friend Davida (zilla) lost her home, her possessions, and her beloved cat Betty White due to a tragic fire caused by Hurricane Milton. A power line was downed and unfortunately fire crews were unable to respond.
She has lost everything and needs help. There are public agencies like FEMA that can help but there is only so much they can do. She lost much more than the food in her refrigerator. This gofundme was started to help her rebuild her life again and restore her hope and passion for life.
If you have the means to help please reach out. There are many ways and things that you can donate. Any help is appreciated. We will post updates here as this progresses.
Dear friends, old and new, near and far,
Where does one begin?
Thank you. (Times 1 billion, truly )
Those are two words we say casually several times daily, but how often do we sit in gratitude?
How can those eight letters possibly convey what your support has done over the last month? I have sat in gratitude, in absolute wonder at the love that's come in from near and far.
Y'all.
I'm so humbled. I'm so grateful.
Wow.
I asked Kevin to add an update here. By the grace of God himself, I am currently being housed in an Airbnb in St Pete. This incredible woman, saw my story in the Gulfport Gabber newspaper....
As a fellow animal lover, she reached out and offered me and my sweet kitty a place until January 1st. I am forever grateful. One, to be in such a lovely, beautiful, safe place to begin healing. Two, being able to still get to work conveniently. Three, I'm right down the street from my best friend, Trish and four, this wonderful human has not only sheltered me, but provided constant advice, emotional support, laughter, opportunities..... She thinks way outside the box and has help to inspire me for my Phoenix Era!
I am humbled by the amount of people that helped even during a state/nation wide crisis, even during their own personal storm damage, paused, reached in and reached out to help me.
I honestly don't know where I'd be without the continued support from my community. Y'all will never know the depth of my gratitude.
We've come a long way in the campaign, but there's much more to go.
The current cost of even getting into housing between application fees and 1st, last and security is a massive chunk of cash. Depending on if I can find a furnished rental or not, I'll need to source a home full of furniture, rugs, household items and things to try and make whenever I land, feel like home.
While I will likely need furniture and household items, I cannot currently accept large items simply because I can't store them anywhere, HOWEVER, come January please keep me in mind if you've got a cute table, bed set, lanterns, rugs, air fryer, microwave etc.
The fire stole it all and so if you've got it, I likely need it. I will post a clearer update of needs once I have permanent housing locked down.
I am also very well connected with other disaster victims that I am able to trickle down the abundance that didn't quite work for me to others that need it most.
My current and most pressing need at the moment is housing, and that's where I really need my communities help.
I am looking for an ideally furnished, cat friendly rental, when I say long term, if it's clean, safe and fairly priced, I'll stay years. I was in my last rental for ten years and would have stayed even longer were it not for the fire. I'm an ideal tenant who prides herself in having a beautiful clean home, being a good neighbor and not being a bother to my landlord unless it's absolutely necessary. I have excellent credit score, over 820 and flawless rental history. My budget living alone would be 1400 to 1500 including utilities and wifi.
(I could possibly go higher in a 2 or 3 bedroom with time to find roommates.)
I know how important it is to have a reliable tenant and I can offer you the assurance that the bills will always be paid and your neighbors will love me. If you have a property or know someone, please reach out to connect me. I really really need this help more than anything else.
Financial donations are the most helpful and are humbly accepted via the following methods, which go directly to me.
Cashapp: $zillalikegodzilla
Venmo: @Davida-Wheeler (last 4, 8969)
I'm wearing red in the photo
Zelle: [email redacted]
PayPal: Zillalikegodzilla
Other ways to support include gift cards to Publix, Amazon, gas stations, Ross, Target, Walmart etc....
If you want to mail items, I can receive packages at the following address,
Davida Wheeler
C/o Trish Glass
2220 30th Ave North
St Pete FL 33713
(No in person deliveries please, mail only)
I want to sincerely thank everyone for all that each of you has done and will continue to do as I rebuild. You are literally saving a human from being homeless and that gift means more than words can ever convey. If you've already donated or if you can't right now, please share my public FB posts. Shares help the algorithm and you never know what makes a story to viral. A simple click takes you only a moment but might help me to get funds to get into housing.
✨Please share if you're able. Visibility helps more then you know. ✨
I miss my sweet kitty, Betty White, endlessly and she is irreplaceable. My heart aches for her daily. Please, love your fur babies a bit extra in Betty's honor tonight, and if you would like to make a donation in her name to Cat Trap Fever, please reach out for details.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Please keep helping. There is a long long way to go. I am still sifting thru the remains at the fire site and sorting what's left in the garage. I may need a friend or 2 with a truck for help in the coming weeks. Please reach out if you can lend a hand!
Emotional support humans help big time! Come visit, come help me sort things or just be a kind ear to listen. I miss y'all and my days in this city are likely numbered so come get your love. Hugs are drugs!
Organizer
Kevin Simmons
Organizer
St. Petersburg, FL