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Community helps Hurricane Maria survivors who lost home in fire

Hurricane Maria forced them out of their home in Puerto Rico. Earlier this month, what little they brought with them to Florida literally went up in flames.
Hurricane Maria forced them out of their home in Puerto Rico. Earlier this month, what little they brought with them to Florida literally went up in flames.

LUTZ, Fla. -- At Rice N Beans in Lutz, Arelys Gomez and her family celebrated, despite what they’ve experienced.

Hurricane Maria forced them out of their home in Puerto Rico. Earlier this month, what little they brought with them to Florida literally went up in flames. This time, lightning sparked an apartment fire, destroying all their belongings.

“We have no transportation either. We don't have family here,” Gomez said. “We were alone.”

Then, a woman they can only describe as an angel came along.

“I was speechless for a couple of seconds, and then I realized we have to act,” Jeannie Calderin explained.

Calderin helped Gomez and her family find a place to live after leaving their island. Now, they're collecting gift cards to get them back on their feet for a second time.

“There’s light at the end of the tunnel, and if there's not, I will turn on a flashlight, but I will find that light,” Calderin said.

For a family who left everything they'd ever known and then lost everything they owned, "thank you" doesn’t seem like enough for their benefactor.

“It's really a big help for us, because we don't have nothing right now,” Gomez said, fighting back tears.

After two natural disasters, she’s learning her family doesn't have to weather the aftermath alone.

Friday’s event raised several hundred dollars for Gomez and another Puerto Rican family who lost everything in the fire.

Rice N Beans will be collecting gift cards all week, and Calderin has also set up a GoFundMe for them.

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