Help Jerry Build a Better World for Himself

Hi we're World Food Bank, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and we're fundraising for Jerry Yoo. We first met Jerry on Friday, April 4th, 2025. We were able to get him accepted at a shelter 2 days later. It's a Korean operated shelter. We were able to secure interim housing for him 2 days after that. He will move to a tiny home village near Koreatown where he will recieve on site supportive care. From there, he will moved to permanent affordable housing.

Some people who saw photos of Jerry expressed concerns about his foot. He is getting medical care. He was hit by a car a few months ago. His foot was broken in the accident. But he will be completely healed in about 3 months.

Jerry's back story. He was born in Seoul, South Korea in 1967. In 1971 or 1972, he was sent to Los Angeles and placed in the foster care system. We're researching/investigating what happened. Jerry was probably adopted by a white American family who changed their minds. Adoptive parents would have had to pay for his plane fare from Seoul to LA.

He was bounced around from one foster care family to another. A mix of Korean and White American families. Remarkably, extraordinarily Jerry has retained his Korean language abilities.

The system failed him again and again. The South Korean government and the U.S. government failed him. The Korean orphanage and the American foster care system failed him. His foster parents failed him as he aged out of the foster care system.

For the short term, Jerry needs clothing, shoes, socks, underwear, jackets, pajamas, etc.. And he likes Korean food.

Jerry also wants to rebuild his life and go back to street vending. He needs a van, folding tables, tarp, and supplies to sell. He's done street vending before and he says it's good for him.

We will post receipts of purchases to keep donors updated. We will also hold fundraisers in Koreatown LA. If your interested in substantially supporting Jerry, you will have opportunities to talk to him on the phone or to meet him. Jerry has a wonderfully dry sense of humor and he is extremely intelligent.

Please help us show Jerry that the world can. be a different place. Together we can show Jerry a world that is a warm and welcoming place for him. A world that he hasn't experienced in 57 years. It's never too late to bring kindness, dignity, respect, warmth, and love into Jerry's life.

Sincerely,

Susan Park