Ruth B. had just moved to Texas with her husband and their four-month-old twins, excited for a fresh start in a new state. Her husband had recently lost his job, and the move had stretched their finances thin, but they were focused on settling in and building stability for their young family.

Less than two weeks after they arrived, Hurricane Beryl hit. The family was displaced from their new home as power outages occurred across the area. What little food they had for their babies began to spoil. Emergency supplies and temporary necessities added up quickly. Already running low on money, the crisis became more than they could manage on their own.

With few options left, Ruth turned to GoFundMe for help and created a fundraiser on the platform. Shortly after, her family received a grant from GoFundMe.org’s Hurricane Relief Fund.

The support arrived just in time. Ruth shared, “We spent all of it on formula, which we are still using for our babies, and without it I don’t know what we would have done. Your donation might have saved our lives, or at least our financial security. Thank you for your kindness and generosity.”

Lola R. is a yoga teacher and holistic health coach based in Tampa, Florida. Under normal circumstances, she earns enough to comfortably cover her expenses. That changed when Hurricane Helene hit in late September of 2024. Lola quickly exhausted her emergency savings on evacuation costs, temporary housing, food, and other immediate needs.

“About 90% of everything in my home will be thrown out,” Lola shared. “Nearly everything was destroyed by Hurricane Helene. I have not yet been able to move back into my home, which is still unlivable as I wait for my insurance claim to finish processing. This has been a long and very drawn-out process.”

Although Lola had flood insurance, it covered only structural damage, not the contents of her home. As a result, she was left needing to replace nearly all of her essentials, including food, a bed, and cleaning supplies. She also faced significant upfront repair costs, with electrical work alone estimated at thousands of dollars.

Facing an overwhelming rebuild, Lola started a GoFundMe fundraiser to ask for support from her community. Shortly after, she received a grant from GoFundMe.org’s Hurricane Relief Fund. The support helped her begin addressing immediate repairs and replace essential items as she worked toward returning home.

After Hurricane Helene hit Florida in the Fall of 2024, Marisela Q. and her family of four found themselves facing mounting repairs and unexpected costs after their roof and fences were destroyed by the storm. Before they could fully regroup, a second storm, Hurricane Milton, struck their home. Several trees fell onto the house and their family car, a necessity for getting to work and taking their children to school.

With the damage continuing to add up, Marisela started a fundraiser on GoFundMe to help cover some of the costs. A few weeks later, she received a grant from GoFundMe.org’s Hurricane Relief Fund. The support made it possible for her family to begin repairs on their home and purchase parts needed to get their car running again.

At 84 years old, Lorrie L. lived a quiet, content life in a mobile home with her partner. Their modest income, Social Security for her, and Veteran benefits for him, was just enough to get by.

But everything changed when Hurricane Helene struck, leaving their mobile home in ruins.

In November, 2024, Lorrie became one of more than 2,700 people to receive a grant from GoFundMe.org’s Hurricane Relief Fund. The support gave Lorrie and her partner the means to secure temporary housing, and, for the first time in weeks, a moment to breathe.

Jae D. lost both his home and vehicle in a devastating hurricane last fall. While taking shelter with his family, 22 trees fell across his property, six of them crashing directly onto his house. “I heard every single tree come down,” Jae wrote, “and every single time, I thought that was it. It’s a miracle that me and mine are alive and okay. And even though I lost my home and everything in it, the miracles have not stopped since.”

Soon after he started a fundraiser on GoFundMe, Jae received a grant from GoFundMe.org’s Hurricane Relief Fund, allowing him to afford things his family needed most urgently — food, diapers, and clothes — as well as rent for new temporary housing.