TikToker raises $50,000 in days for CA family living in van after sharing their story
A TikToker in California was walking into a grocery store when she saw a family experiencing homelessness and decided to lend a helping hand.
On July 25, Jackie Gansky, 28, known as @Jackiegansky on TikTok was going shopping at her local market in Los Angeles when she came across a man named Hugh with his three kids, ages 3, 5 and 6, Gansky told McClatchy News in an interview.
Hugh, a 61-year-old originally from Belize, told Gansky that the kids “just really wanted some juice,” so Gansky decided to go into the supermarket and buy them a bunch of non-perishable items.
“I brought him a bunch of juices and groceries and they were super happy,” she said. “He told me they were living out of their van and with this Los Angeles heat wave and it being in the high 90s, the kids were just running around outside.”
Gansky said Hugh explained to her the kids would wake up with bloody noses because of the hot, dry weather and he “would crack the window to let some air in, staying up all night to make sure everyone stayed safe.”
“I know one of the kids has asthma and with this heat I wanted to figure out a way to help them,” Ganksy told McClatchy News. “I wanted to make a fundraising page for them, so after he let me know he was comfortable making a video, we tried to see if we could raise some money.”
In the meantime, Gansky took it upon herself to set the family up in a motel while she tried to gather funds through a GoFundMe page.
Initially, the family thought the stay would be for just one night but Gansky decided to extend it for a week, a TikTok that garnered over 600,000 views as of July 28 showed.
“I paid for the motel just hoping the community donations could come in so they could be there for more than a week or so,” Ganksy said.
And donations did come rolling in.
“In just 24 hours we raised over $40,000,” Gansky said. “They’re so grateful. They’re so happy.”
In just two and a half days, the fundraising page has nearly hit $50,000, Ganksy said.
Ganksy’s sister, Danielle Gansky, and her friend Anna Olson have also played a role in helping get this family food, shelter and some fun toys for the kids. One TikTok video shows the kids happily jumping on the motel bed while unpacking a lunch Ganksy brought, along with the good fundraising news.
“Daniella handles a lot of the research stuff in terms of handling the Amazon wish list and all that. Anna has become my partner. We went yesterday to visit the family and brought them corndogs and burritos,” Gansky said.
As for what the plan is to do with the money raised, Gansky said the first priority is getting the family an apartment.
“I want to make sure he gets the money for gas and car insurance or whatever he needs. We’re just working toward trying to get him a job and now I’m fully involved with this family, which is so exciting,” she said.
Ganksy said Hugh is “just so grateful that his kids have a bed, are safe and don’t have to be out in the heat.”
This story was originally published July 28, 2023 at 1:27 PM with the headline "TikToker raises $50,000 in days for CA family living in van after sharing their story."