Please help Awen get a car (for her home)!

Dear friends... winter is coming, now, in California, and our friend Awen in Northern California (near Shasta) is in dire need of a car -- which would also be her home.

URGENT NEED

We need to get Awen out of her tent in the woods of Mt. Shasta and other uncertain places, night to night, into a good, reliable minivan (like a Toyota Sienna) so she can have a safe, warm place to live and sleep as she gets her life together.

A SERIES OF WRETCHED EVENTS

In the fall of 2022, Awen went through a bad relationship breakup, and moved to the Joshua Tree area -- where she found a job, and rented a trailer/RV to live in.

In April 2023, she went to visit her dad (alcoholic, drug addict, & physical abuser) who kicked her out. At the same time, her health took a dive; a poorly-done root canal resulted in a jaw infection (you don't want to know the details), and she ended up in the hospital for a while, on an antibiotic IV. Through all of this, she lost her job, lost her trailer, and began living in her van.

ANOTHER TRAGEDY - HER VAN EXPLODED

While Awen was house-sitting for a friend, her unoccupied van exploded, caught on fire, and burned all of her possessions -- from necessary equipment to her driver's license!

None of this was replaced or addressed via car insurance.

Since then, she has been living in a tent near Mt. Shasta, or occasionally trading a place to stay for work -- but having no vehicle is a serious obstacle to finding steady work (as well as having the dignity of a warm, reliable shelter of her own).

A LIFE OF CHALLENGES

Awen's life has been one of intense abuse (both physical and sexual), of living on her own since early high schools, of alcohol addiction (she has been sober since before the pandemic), of odd jobs from cleaning to farming to construction.. but her real passion is her artwork -- which she does sell, as she's able.

OUR GOAL

Awen has expressed that an RV might prove too costly and unwieldy for her to live in, over time, but a good-sized mini-van would be just the thing for her needs.

We'd like to help this beautiful soul get back on her feet, and into the driver's seat of her life, by getting a Toyota Sienna for her (see the cover photo).

A used Sienna ranges from $7500 - 10,000 -- we would like to get her a really good, reliable one, and possibly have some money set aside for any repairs or maintenance needs that might arise, as well.

She really needs our help to make this dream become a reality! (And before the worst of the winter cold sets in, in Shasta.)

DONATE, SHARE, SUPPORT

Please, won't you help us in our mission to get Awen comfortably situated and able to show up for job possibilities in her own vehicle?

EVERY bit helps -- no matter how small the donation amount -- because together, we can do so much good, that none of us could do alone. There is such goodness in unity!

If you're unable to donate funds directly, at least commit to share this campaign and enlist the help of friends who maybe CAN donate (and share)….?

THANK YOU, so much, from UCBK, and from Awen, for your kind attention to this campaign, and your willingness to help a sister in need.

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For GoFundMe general disclaimer/explanation purposes.... UCBK, The Universal Church of Baba's Kitchen, the non-profit spiritual and charitable organization that I administrate (as President of the board), is raising this money on behalf of Awen and her need for a reliable mini-van.

We have a large email and donor base, so it makes sense for us to get the word out, collect the funds, and give them to Awen as soon as they're available.