MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA/Gray News) – After months of hardship and grief, an Alabama family is feeling the love as the community surprised them with a larger home and a new van.
It’s been a rough year for the family of Lakeshia Johnson, who died unexpectedly in May from an overdose. She left behind seven children under the age of 18.
The children were taken in by Lakeshia Johnson’s mother and sister, who lived in a two-bedroom home with no heat or air conditioning, WSFA reports.
“It’s been hard. It’s been tough having to go through our battles with the court system and with DHR,” said Lakeshia Johnson’s sister, Kirsten Johnson.
The family reached out for help, and the community responded. David Barranco, the owner of Chappy’s Deli, wrote a check to help move the family into a more spacious home. To furnish it, A Better Montgomery organized a GoFundMe. The goal of $5,000 was more than doubled.
“A lot of people always talking bad about Montgomery and the worst things about Montgomery, but if they get an opportunity to see how Montgomery comes together, this has been absolutely amazing,” said Charles Lee, the founder of the non-profit organization That’s My Child, who helped organize the community outreach.
Lakeshia Johnson’s mother and sister got a surprise tour of the newly furnished house, where they saw dozens of gifts from donations, as well.
But nothing could have prepared them for what came next: a new van, donated by Jack Ingram Motors, a local dealership.
“I thought I was going to faint,” Kirsten Johnson said with a chuckle. “I don’t have to pay for an Uber or Lyft anymore. The kids don’t have to walk back and forth to school anymore in the cold.”
Christmas is known as the season of giving, and this season is one the Johnson family will never forget.
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