Lexi Found Housing After A Fire
Early on a Monday morning in February, a small spark ignited in the wiring of a vacant unit neighboring Lexi Harris’ apartment. That spark became a full-fledged fire and spread quickly throughout the building. Lexi was asleep but was woken by the sound of police banging on her door. “I was sleeping. It was at 4:00 in the morning, and I just heard banging on my door. I couldn’t really put one and two together until I smelled the smoke and I felt the heat, and I was like, ‘Yeah, it’s a fire.’”
Lexi has worked in food service for 10 years. For the past three years, she’s been Lead Bartender at two separate bars, one of which is part of the Atlanta Battery.
Once she safely evacuated the building, she realized her work uniform was among the many possessions she lost in the blaze. In her shock, she focused on the singular task of making it to work that morning. “I couldn't even process the information. I was thinking, ‘I'm going to need a new uniform because my uniform got burned up.’" She texted her boss asking for a spare uniform, and he immediately recognized the severity of her situation and referred her to Giving Kitchen. “He wasn't like, ‘you get in touch,’ he was like, ‘we need to get you in touch with them.’ The fire happened around 4:00am in the morning, I texted him around 7:00am and around 9:00am Giving Kitchen called me.”
As Lexi now knows, losing your home in a fire creates a very immediate problem and Giving Kitchen understands that a disaster like this requires a swift response. “My case manager asked me exactly what was going on, where I'm living, where I'm going to stay, if I needed anything immediately and what ways they could help me.” The fire happened Monday morning, and by Friday, Lexi was approved to receive financial assistance. “It happened fast,” she says.
“The most immediate thing I needed was a new place to stay. The financial assistance helped me get a new home - first month's rent on a new home and all my initial deposits on the new home like electric, gas and water.”
Lexi’s case manager helped her figure out what else she needed during this confusing time. Lexi had left her car at work at the Battery, but her car keys were lost in the fire, so she couldn’t move it. Her case manager reached out to the Braves on Lexi’s behalf, which alerted some of the executives (who also happen to be regulars at Lexi’s bar) to her situation. Lexi said, “I wasn't expecting to tell everybody about the fire but Giving Kitchen did reach out to them, and that really did come in handy. When you go through a fire, it's hard to really process everything that you're going to need, kind of like a shock. So, ‘What did I lose? What do I need? How do I go about it?’”
Fortunately, Lexi is part of a supportive community that extends beyond Giving Kitchen. “The bartenders that I work with instantly reached out to me and they were asking, ‘What do you need? Do you want us to put together a GoFundMe account?’" Lexi’s team collected money for her with matching funds from the Braves executives who frequent her bar. Such generosity speaks volumes about Lexi as a person and a coworker, and it illustrates that hospitality isn’t just a job but a lifestyle for so many food service workers. Giving Kitchen is grateful to support this culture of generosity.
“I instantly got back on my feet because of all the resources Giving Kitchen gave me. Giving Kitchen gives hope.”
Lexi’s manager referred her to Giving Kitchen after a devastating apartment fire. If you know a food service worker in need, refer them to Giving Kitchen today.
Giving Kitchen was there for Lexi when she needed us most, and GK will be here for other food service workers like her in the future. Support them by giving to Giving Kitchen today.