Thanks to your love and support, Elikya Connect sent approximately 25 small increment gift cards for Amazon, Target, Starbucks, etc. to a large family that suffered tremendous loss in the Paradise Fire last year. Much of the family (grandparents, children, grandkids, etc.) resided in the areas directly affected by this horrendous fire. In all, at least five of their households burned to the ground, losing property, heirlooms, livelihoods and most of their community as well.
Candidly, our efforts to reach out felt minuscule in relation to the overwhelming loss they experienced. However, the family received the thoughtful and personal cards of love and encouragement with heartfelt appreciation and the understanding that strangers from Southern California deeply cared about them and the reality of their suffering.
We even received a handwritten “Thank You” card from 86 year-old “M” who’s husband passed away a month prior to the fires. She then lost her entire house and property, and is now living in an RV on her daughter’s property in a nearby city. “M” expressed deep appreciation for the heart behind the Care Cards, here’s an excerpt of her note:
“Words cannot express how much your gifts and letters have lifted my spirits. Just to tell you about myself, I am 86 years and my husband and I were married 67 years. We lived nearly all of our lives in Martinez, CA. We raised 6 children there and served in our church there. We moved to Paradise about 2 months before the fire. My husband was very sick so we felt we needed to be closer to our children who had move to … He died one month before the fire. I lost everything but my sweet Lord has provided me with a trailer that I have parked on my daughter’s property in… Five families of our immediate family lost all in the fire along with their tools for business and trucks. Praise the Lord no lives were lost, just things. Please tell: (names of individuals who wrote the cards she received) how very much all the love & thoughts mean to me and others. I especially loved the card that said “life is like riding a bike, to keep your balance always look forward and keep moving.”
Friends, if you can’t give to someone in need financially, please know that your words of love, concern and support speak volumes. And if you can and want to give a gift card, but struggle with the “right words to say” or time to compose it, that’s ok too! Miraculously, in addition to notes with gift cards, we received almost exactly the same amount of gift cards without letters, as handwritten cards without gift cards, allowing us to couple them together. A very special thank you to all who participated!
If you feel led to send a note of love and/or a gift card to someone in-crisis (disaster victim, refugee, homeless person and/or human trafficking survivor) please ask us how! It’s our joy to help you share your heart and create a meaningful connection for individuals facing challenging circumstances.