Janae' Littlejohn Survived a Car Accident and COVID-19
Janae’ Littlejohn wants to be Miss America. Well, Miss America 2.0. After winning a national title as Miss Plus America Teen 10 years ago, Janae’ has built her own brand, lived with intention, hoped for miracles (and witnessed a few), and worked in food service. While preparing to compete for Miss America, she worked in concessions at Truist Park last season and was gearing up to be a bartender and a host at Terrapin Tap Room for the 2020 season.
Growing up in Columbus, OH, Janae’ started working in hospitality as a birthday hostess at a skating rink at the age of 16. There she says she “learned the gift of gab” that served her in avenues outside of food service - a skill set which also helped her when she arrived in Atlanta with the desire to bartend.
A recruiter by day and a bartender by night, Janae’ is a hustler. She consistently has at least two jobs and is no stranger to hard work. In 2020, she was ready to fulfill a major goal: to become Miss America in the revamped Miss America 2.0 competition. After a significant weight loss and reworking of her personal brand, Ms. Littlejohn, she was ready to be the first plus-sized Miss America. “I feel like it's important for us to have role models that show us who we are is okay.” She wants to be that role model, and what better way to do so than by winning a beauty pageant?
On her way to the first round of competition, Janae’ was in a car accident. Fortunately, she wasn’t hurt, but her car was totaled. Most people would call it a day after something like that, but not Janae’. She put her game face on and took an Uber from the accident site to the competition - of course, this was just the universe trying to make her prove how much she wanted it. She’s seen this before, and she knows that if she moves forward with grit and intention, miracles can happen.
Unfortunately, despite her hard work and positive attitude, Janae’ did not make it through the first round of the competition. The goal she’d been working towards for so long was now out of reach. The following day, she went on a preplanned cruise with her best friend. Wallowing is just not in Janae’s vocabulary. She was ready to enjoy a well-deserved vacation, but while she was on the cruise, the COVID-19 crisis began to ramp up. When she returned home, Atlanta was not yet on lockdown, though the phrase ‘social distancing’ was becoming more and more commonplace.
Then Janae’ started to feel sick. As a seasonal worker without consistent income, she was uninsured and needed to see a doctor. With encouragement from her mom, Janae’ saw a doctor with the last of the money in her bank account, which was about to be refilled as the baseball season began.
As a non-essential worker, Janae’ was not eligible for a COVID-19 test, nor did she have a car to drive through a testing site or the money required to pay for a test without insurance. On doctor’s orders, she quarantined herself alone in her apartment under the assumption that she had COVID-19. While many would lament the loneliness of quarantining without family, friends or roommates, she said that she was grateful to live alone so she wouldn’t put anyone else at risk. A neighbor got her groceries and cold medicine while she struggled to breathe. “I was almost scared to go to sleep ‘cause I didn't want to lay on my back.”
At the same time, Atlanta went into lockdown, and Truist Park emailed their employees to officially announce the park would close. There went the promise of her seasonal income and the prospect of reuniting with her coworkers. First a car accident, then a dream deferred and now, this. Janae’ said, “I felt like I lost my purpose.”
So she did what any tenacious, intentional, optimistic person would do - she hoped for a miracle. Janae’ keeps a journal that says “Expect Miracles,” and she documents the miracles of her life - the ones that she needs and the ones that she receives. She wrote a letter to the universe. “I surrendered all my worries about how I was going to pay my bills.” She asked for “a miracle from heaven that would shift [her] perspective.”
Not one to sit around and wait for good things to appear, Janae’ got to work looking for a solution. A coworker at the park told her about Giving Kitchen, so Janae’ did some research and figured it was worth reaching out and explaining her situation.
Due to the COVID-19 crisis, Giving Kitchen extended the qualifications for financial assistance to food service workers with doctor’s orders to quarantine.
Janae’ received financial assistance from Giving Kitchen to cover her rent for one month. She was very happy to see the check was addressed directly to her rental property, so all she had to do was send it in. Without the financial aid, she may have been evicted and even become homeless - on top of being sick with COVID-19. Her home is her safe space, and it’s a safe space for many of her friends.
Thankfully, Janae’ is feeling much better now. She can talk, she can breathe and she’s not coughing. She has her health and financial help from Giving Kitchen, so she has some breathing room while she figures out her next move.
As Janae’ says, “Sometimes you just need help, but you don’t know where it’s going to come from.” On April 3 at 11:45am, she wrote in her miracle journal, “Giving Kitchen.”
Giving Kitchen was there for Janae’ when she needed us most, and GK will be here for food service workers for other food service workers like her in the future. Support them by giving to Giving Kitchen today.