Makala sees a black bear
This is an update on the family I'm trying to help. Please see this diary for the full story. For the record, I don't really like this title because I see Chelsie, Terrance, Aaron and Makala as a family, plain and simple. A family that my son and I had a great time hanging out with today. But they are homeless and need help, so we're going to go with it.
Update 5/24/2015:
I helped the family move into an extended stay hotel today. It is a little more expensive but they have a kitchen and it is much nicer. Their previous motel was the worst that I've ever encountered and I don't believe the children were truly safe there.
I also took them shopping at Costco. Anyone who has been there knows that you pretty much have to buy a lot of food. We also bought some clothes and a couple of toys for the children. I'm not using fundraiser money for all of that. Some of the money went to renewing their membership and a nice folding cart which should come in handy. I have decided to pay half of the hotel stay this week. At this point, all of the funds from the fundraiser have been used and we can no longer use our personal money to support them. They understand that. For that reason I am going to raise the goal. The new goal would support them for another week. I know that staying at a hotel/motel is not a sustainable way to live, but I'm doing my best to see that they don't have to go back to an emergency shelter. If they should not need all of the money raised (assuming we raise any more), I will donate the rest to a local food pantry.
The food should easily last them until they receive SNAP, and should even continue to supplement that for a little while longer. Housing is another story. Tuesday will be a busy day for them. For a variety of reasons they want to stay in Washington County. The organization they are working for currently say they will only help for another county. So they have their work cut out for them. I think the realistic solution is for them to get a spot at a long-term shelter until they can sort all of that out. I will continue to help as much as I can on that front.
Thank you all for your generosity!
Here is the link to the GoFundMe page I set up for their family. See below the fold for the story and more zoo pics.
Aaron and Makala. They were very helpful in planning our route through the zoo.
When my son (2) and I met the family at the motel the kids were ready to go. Makala was wearing the earrings and bracelet that a friend of mine made for her. We hopped on the light rail across the street and sped on to the Oregon Zoo. After arriving at the station we got on an elevator that took us to the surface. Chelsie was a little uneasy with the depth of the tunnel, but we made it out okay.
After the obligatory mountain goat viewing we headed into the Pacific Northwest exhibit. The black bears were out and about (see the photo in the intro). We also checked out the eagles, watched the salmon do whatever it is salmon do, and watched the otters play. And the ducks, of course, are always a blast.
Ducks!
The cougars were hanging out right next to the glass and the condors were flapping about.
After a quick stop in the barn...
Giddy-up!
...it was time to visit the polar bears. They were pretty mellow today.
Just hangin' out
After a quick look at the fascinating babirusa (Makala thought they were ugly, but I disagree) we entered the Fragile Forests to see the primates. There were also some reptiles and amphibians.
Aaron was photographing everything.
Makala was pretty excited about the big fish in the Amazon Flooded Forest.
'You have to see this!'
And of course the play set just outside is a must.
After lunch at the AfriCafe with a nice view of the birds in the aviary, we set out for Africa.
On our way.
In my experience, this is actually a rare occurrence.
We navigated our way through the megafauna, said hello to the flamingos, then decided that maybe it was time to head out.
During the visit, Chelsie said in passing that it was nice to do something that normal families do and not worry about everything else for an afternoon. Here's hoping that there is a lot more normal in their future.
I should also mention that Terrance was there even though I didn't manage to get a picture of him. I had a good time talking with Terrance about everything from BBQ to astronomy.
So what now? I'm going to get them into a better hotel for a few days. What's left of the money raised so far will be used for groceries and possibly to extend their stay a night if necessary. That's about all I can commit to do at the moment. They are doing what they can to get into an apartment, or at least a long-term shelter. It's not as easy as it sounds, even with the help of the DHS. Anything that I raise for them with the GoFundMe page will give them more time to focus on their objectives. Please consider giving a little.
No matter what happens next, though, this family is now a part of my life. I hope they remain so for a long time.