Debra Barger-Cook has been through so much, from spending nearly two years homeless to having complications with her health and surviving breast cancer. In October 2019, she and her eldest daughter Ragna finally got housing in what they were told was a safe neighborhood in Fallbrook, CA. The van they had bought to sleep in while they were homeless was not in bad condition, but the locks on the sliding back doors didn't work. Still, being assured the neighborhood was a low crime one, that didn't bother them too much.
On August 23rd, 2020, a California Highway patrol officer came to her door and told her that her car had been stolen and recovered. Not much information was given by the officer, but it was involved in an accident of some sort. As it was a Sunday, the lot where the car was towed was closed, as was most rental agencies.
After talking with her daughter, and noting that there was no way to keep this from happening again (as the car was bought from their mechanic and they had told us the lock problem wasn't fixable), they decided to start a fundraiser to buy a new car, something that locked and was smaller and easier for Debra to handle that had better gas mileage. The van was well worth it when they were homeless but now that they were settled it was time to get something suited for long trips to downtown San Diego each week for picking up Debra's grandson for visits.
The $3,000 goal was set because most cars found on Facebook marketplace and other sites average $1,800 to $2,500, and the extra $500 will allow them to rent a car to get to the car they wish to buy (currently they're looking at a 2006 Volkswagon Rabbit that is located in Wildomar that's $2,500).
