Heartbreak after heartbreak: Detroit family seeks just the basics this Christmas

"There is angels out here. Not everybody's evil."

Things are looking up for Latisha Evans and her family. They have been struggling for a while. First, they were evicted from their previous home last Christmas, victims of a housing scam. Turns out the guy they had been renting from didn't actually own the house.

For a while, they lived in their car before moving into a home on Detroit's east side. They don't have much of anything, and on Thanksgiving, they learned of more bad news.

"They broke in our house Thanksgiving," said Latisha. "They took our stuff, they took my ID and Social Security card."

Adding insult to injury, their heat has been cut off and they weren't going to have much of a Christmas, because Latisha's husband lost his job.

"Christmas is coming up and we got too much on our hands," says Lakyra Evans. "We needed help."

That's Latisha's daughter. She's 12-years-old and last week she took action. Lakyra took her mother's phone and she reached out to FOX 2 on our Facebook page, posting a selfie of her and her siblings. 8-year-old Nahima and 2-year-old Jeremiah.

She wrote, 'My Mom's a great lady - she tried her best. I know she loves us but can anyone adopt us for Christmas. No beds, socks, clothing dresser, coats, shoes, boots, pajamas, etc.'

"I didn't know my daughter, Lakyra, did this," Latisha told us. "It really surprised me, because I didn't know that is would affect me that she'd been watching me. Sometimes I sit in here and I cry because I can't do things for them."

But we can. And once Lakyra reached out for help, some generous FOX 2 viewers responded, making an early Christmas delivery on Saturday.

"He's an angel, too," said Latisha. "And I want to say thank you for the beds, for the chair, for the furniture, the rub, the toys, the clothing that they gave us."

They still need a washer and dryer and to get the heat turned back on, plus the kids need clothes. And already, FOX 2 viewers want to help, and Latisha is grateful her daughter reached out for help.

"This is my two princesses," says Latisha.

Princesses who will have a Merry Christmas this year. Reverend W.J. Rideout III has already agreed his church can serve as a drop-off site for donations or presents.

"Whatever we can do to help this family, " says Reverend Rideout. "As our church, All God's People Church, has always done in the time past. We'll do it now and we'll take up part with you and Channel 2 and help adopt this family and to help get them everything they need to get them moving and headed in the right direction."

If you'd like to help, here are items the family still needs:

  • Washer and Dryer
  • Bed for Jeremiah
  • Paws Patrol toys for Jeremiah.
  • Age appropriate gifts for girls 8 and 12
  • Clothing for children - especially winter coats, boots, gloves, hats, scarves
  • Lakyra - Size 12 girls pants, medium/large shirt, size 8 women's shoe
  • Nahima - size 7x for clothes, size 2 girls shoes
  • Jeremiah - size 2T - 4T in clothes, size 8 babies for shoes
  • Parents
  • Latisha - size 2x winter coat, size 9 boots
  • Corey - size 4x winter coat, size 11 boots
  • gloves, hats, scarves also needed

 

You can drop off all donations to:

All God's People Church
5201 French Road, Detroit
phone 313-492-5009