THE VILLAGES, Fla. – A hairstylist furloughed and struggling to make ends meet due to the coronavirus pandemic received a surprise financial lifeline from strangers who saw her story on News 6 and wanted to help.
Natasha Haggerty and her son Jalen received a $1,500 check from a retired couple who lives in The Villages, enclosed in a handwritten card that read, in part: “We hope this helps you and your son in some small way in these strange, challenging and sometimes overwhelming times.”
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The couple asked to remain anonymous but wanted to share part of their COVID-19 stimulus check with Haggerty, who has been struggling to get through the state’s unemployment website and has already used her stimulus check to cover this month’s bills.
“For the business I’m in, I don’t see use getting back with the ball rolling until at least June,“ she said.
Haggerty said she only shared her story with News 6 to illustrate the frustration with the Department of Economic Opportunity’s website.
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“I did not see this blessing coming," she said. “I’m usually the person that’s on the giving end so to be the person on the receiving end feels real good.”
Haggerty’s story aired on April 7 and is the third to inspire retired couples in Central Florida to share their stimulus checks with families in need featured in News 6′s “Make Ends Meet” series.
Jessica White Briscoe, an unemployed mother of four received a $2,400 check from John and Kay Custis two weeks ago.
That story prompted Rick and Margie Weinkauf to donate their $2,400 stimulus check to Amie Stanley, a single mom who lost her restaurant server position on St. Patrick’s Day.
Reggie Smith, a furloughed restaurant reservation coordinator, said he was touched by the generosity families have shown.
“It’s amazing how, as a community, we all come together to help somebody in need,” Smith said. “It’s crazy right now.”
Smith takes care of his elderly parents in Orange County and has been juggling bills since he lost his job on March 20.
He contacted News 6 to give people who had been unable to connect on the DEO website some hope.
“It’s rough but I will say for those who are applying: ‘Don’t give up,’" he said. “It took me a month but it will pay off in the end.”
If you have issues balancing your budget and filing for benefits, contact News 6 investigator Mike Holfeld at mholfeld@wkmg.com.