NEW PORT RICHEY — In early December, Crystal Norals couldn’t imagine how Christmas was going to turn out for her and her children. She was facing a looming eviction, during a pandemic, just days after the holiday. She told the Tampa Bay Times on Dec. 14 that, “I think just having some place to live after Christmas would be enough” in 2020.A week later, the family was moving out of their apartment and into a three-bedroom house with their expenses paid for the next few months.“It was a blessing,” Norals said. “I received a call that the story went viral and that some people were going to help us out for Christmas and with a place to stay.”After Norals’ story spread beyond the Tampa Bay area, individual donations for the family came from around the country and from as far away as Nova Scotia, Canada, said Patti Templeton with One Community Now, the organization that nominated Norals to be featured in the Times ’s annual Holiday Hopes series.One large donation came from Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebackers Devin White, Lavonte David, Kevin Minter and Chapelle Russell, who had their personal donations matched by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Foundation.Templeton said the organization was able to pay off Norals’ past due rent and utilities, provide Christmas presents for all of the children and give the family a new washer and dryer.“It was so touching,” Templeton said. “We heard from people that offered their own homes to let the family come stay with them so they wouldn’t have to be homeless. We heard from many single mothers and former single mothers that could relate to Crystal’s story and wanted to do what they could to help. We had one gentleman, Peter, age 62, say he told his family he didn’t need anything for Christmas so he asked his family to give to Crystal on his behalf as his Christmas present.”Coldwell Banker F. I. Grey & Son and the Coalition for the Homeless of Pasco County helped find the new home, and Nomad Moving Company moved the family for free. Norals’ children received gift cards, which meant that her 6-year-old daughter, Rosie, could get the L.O.L Surprise! toys she’d asked for, along with an L.O.L bed set and jacket.And it felt like Christmas at the family’s new home, thanks to another donation: a Christmas tree that had been on display at Sims Park in New Port Richey.“The tree that won first place ,they gave it to my kids,” Norals said. “That was very cool.”Norals said One Community Now is now working to help her find a job.NEW PORT RICHEY — Michael Chase recently adopted his special-needs nephew Joseph after the death of his sister , but the family, which includes Michael’s fiance Michelle and her daughter Meishabella, was unsure how they’d pay their rent after Michelle stopped working to care for Joseph during the day. Long-term, their hope is to move to a home with better accessibility for Joseph, who has trouble with stairs, and somewhere with safe space for him to play outside.After the family’s story appeared in the Tampa Bay Times , readers donated more than $4,000 to the family through Youth and Family Alternatives, Inc., the adoption organization that nominated them. That was enough to pay their rent, while the organization works on a rent donation for this month.“Christmas was way better than what we were anticipating,” Michael said. “It’s amazing how much love and support the community has done for us.”Michael said they also received donations of Christmas gifts and food from a veterans organization, the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, where Michael works as a bus driver, and from Cotee River Elementary School.“Joseph got a bunch of his monster trucks, which he loves,” Michael said. “And Meisha got her photo printer and some extra photo printing paper things.”Chase said the family is still in the process of finding somewhere new to live, but the donations were a huge help toward getting on that path.“We just want to thank everyone who helped us.”TAMPA — The Olmeda family was homeless during Christmas 2019. After Julio Olmeda lost his job due to an injury, his family was evicted and spent three months living in a car. Many of their personal items, including 9-year-old Juliana’s Nintendo Switch, were stolen.The family reached out to Metropolitan Ministries for help. By October 2020, they had turned their life around. Julio received the surgery he needed and got a new job. Mother Joana dreamed of starting an Etsy business to sell her handmade jewelry. Catholic Charities helped the Olmedas find an apartment of their own.Joana Olmeda’s holiday hope was to give her family a special Christmas after a difficult year.“Last year, our Christmas wasn’t too pretty,” she told the Times on Dec. 10. “We were in a hotel and we had to scrounge to get a few things.”She wanted to buy her daughter a Nintendo Switch to replace the one that had been taken, and headphones for her husband so they could chat on the phone while he worked as a truck driver. After the Tampa Bay Times published the Olmedas’ story, about 20 people reached out to see how the could help. The family received nearly $1,400 in reader donations.“I was just in tears,” Joana said. “I fell on my knees and I said, ‘Lord, thank you.’”Joana was able to use reader donations to buy presents for her family. Her husband was in disbelief, especially when he opened his Raycon headphones on Christmas.One man brought over a wrapped Nintendo Switch for Juliana. Juliana’s presents also included a wrapped box with a note that said, “Give to your mom on Christmas.” Inside were two matching heart bracelets — one for Juliana, and one for Joana — to symbolize their bond.Readers also supported Joana’s new jewelry business. Two women sent supplies, including beads, storage bins and organizers. Joana made $400 in revenue after the story published.She paid it forward by buying a few gifts for a pregnant neighbor who doesn’t have much, including a mattress for the baby’s bed and some clothes.“As much as people have helped me, I want to help others as well,” Joana said.In addition to giving back when they can, the Olmeda family plans to use this momentum to save for a down payment on a house. They are grateful for the generosity of Metropolitan Ministries and Tampa Bay Times readers.“It’s not only just for Christmas,” Joana said. “Now it’s carrying over to the new year and everything that is going to happen in the future.”TAMPA — Ana Zepeda has been through a lot over the last two years, but she had a reason to smile this holiday season.A trip and fall on a construction site where she worked knocked out her front tooth and damaged molars. The dental bill for a new tooth and multiple root canals was too high for Zepeda.Now, toothpaste company Crest and Coast Dental are taking care of the expenses. Coast Dental provided her a new tooth and one root canal so far.Crest will help with other dental costs related to the accident, said Alayne Unterberger, director of the Florida Institute for Community Studies nonprofit that provides resources to Zepeda and other members of local immigrant communities.Crest and Coast Dental helped after reading about Zepeda’s injuries in the Tampa Bay Times .The gift was part of Crest’s “12 Days of Crest Smiles” campaign that the company says helps “deserving children and families have even more reason to smile bright this season.”“We are like America’s Tooth Fairy,” a Crest spokesperson said.Two years ago, Zepeda left her native Honduras as part of a migrant caravan traveling by bus and then foot. She was separated for a week from her oldest daughter at the Texas border and her younger daughter for six months until that child made the journey to the United States with another family member.The adjustment to life in the United States has been difficult for Zepeda and her family.“It makes us happy to know people care about us,” Zepeda said through Unterberger. “Now I see my mission as making sure my children and other children take better care of their teeth.”Crest also donated 500 tubes of toothpaste and toothbrushes to the Florida Institute for Community Studies.ST. PETERSBURG — Julie Beach was in the middle of finals, finishing up her coursework and the labs she taught for the semester when the calls from Feeding Tampa Bay started coming in.The next day, when she signed into her virtual classroom, her professor and colleagues were all talking about the Tampa Bay Times article she was featured in .“I was really surprised at how far reaching it was, and the really nice things that people had to say,” Beach said.Four years ago, Beach became a mother overnight when her sister died by suicide. As the primary caretaker to her sister’s two children, Beach worked multiple jobs while pursuing a graduate degree to help provide her niece and nephew the best possible future she could.After reading about Beach’s undertaking, Times readers reached out to help with generous donations during the Christmas holiday. Vanessa Rodriguez, a mission storyteller who works at Feeding Tampa Bay, said the immediate feedback was “incredible.”“Julie received all of her wishes and then some,” Rodriguez said. “I was answering calls every day for (two) weeks — so impressed by the community’s support around her story.”Beach initially felt uncomfortable asking for anything. But money was always tight, and the coronavirus pandemic had only made things worse. During particularly rough spots, she relied on Feeding Tampa Bay for assistance, and later volunteered with the organization, helping others out.What she really needed was a washing machine, she finally said. The old one her family used kept breaking down. Beach also asked for photography and journalism-related materials for her niece, Julianna. For her nephew, Carlton, she asked for a Nintendo Wii — something she hoped would also provide an opportunity for the family to play active games together.“We got pretty much everything we requested,” Beach said, astonished. “It was really nice to know that people care.”Someone bought them a new Nintendo Wii U along with several games. Another donor, who later turned out to be a neighbor of the family, brought over a camera for Julianna, and a separate woman delivered a collection of Time-Life photography books. There were several monetary donations, including one from a woman Beach said has now become a friend. And then, one of her own classmates personally delivered a new washing machine to Beach’s home.“It’s gorgeous,” Beach said.Another classmate donated a gift card to CASA, a community thrift store in St. Pete.“We went and got a bunch of different things for the house,” Beach said. “Pots and pans and comforters and all usable things — kitchen gadgets and appliances and stuff that will make your life a little bit easier.”At the end of the shopping trip, Beach and her boyfriend discovered they had roughly $10 leftover. It was just enough to buy an engagement ring — a sterling silver piece decorated with flowers and an empty inset for a stone.“It’s cute and unconventional,” she laughed. “I told him he still has to officially propose.”
![Christopher Spata - Culture Reporter](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 50 50"/%3E "Christopher Spata - Culture Reporter")