PLANT CITY, Fla. — To say Andrea Hurt has a full house is an understatement.
“We have 14 children: two biological children, and 10 of them are from the Florida foster care system,” Hurt said.
Eleven are adopted or in the process of being adopted.
But running a house full of love has its challenges. Earlier this year, Hurt started an AngeLink fundraising page to help her family pay for a new air conditioning system in their home in Plant City.
“The cost was just out of our reach financially, so I reached out to AngeLink, put out a fundraiser, and we met our goal,” she said.
But two hurricanes later, her roof started leaking and her home needed even more repairs.
“We had to put buckets in several places of our home," Hurt said. "One of my kid’s bedrooms, the ceiling is falling in from damage from the hurricane. In the kids’ classroom, their windows were leaking. Water was all over the floor and also in our living room.”
Now, a team of helpers is coming to the rescue.
AngeLink helped connect her to a stranger who had reached out offering handyman services, and another Good Samaritan, Jon Starry, the owner of Steadfast Roofing, also teamed up to help with home repairs, all for free.
“The only thing bigger than her heart is her family, so if I have the ability to help somebody like her out, I 100% will,” Starry said.
It’s been an overwhelming show of support for the mom of 14, with a community helping turn their house into a home.
“Things like this don’t happen often, so I'm very humbled that people want to help,” Hurt said. “We were willing to try on our own to do it in pieces and do what we could, but we’re just very grateful for the help.”
"He was a great inspiration to all of us, but especially I would say those that are in the minorities"
Catholics across the Tampa Bay Area are remembering the life and legacy of Pope Francis, who died at the age of 88. Father Len Plazewski, the Pastor of Christ the King Church in South Tampa, thinks his legacy will be one of joy.
