ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Ann Steele said she didn’t need the $750 in stimulus check money deposited directly into her account. She wanted it to go to those who needed it. She posted in the “I Love St. Pete” Facebook group offering to help.
“I’m an IT worker and I’m able to work from home,” she said.
She told people to message her if they needed a little help and then she challenged others in similar financial positions to do the same with their stimulus money.
“When I got my stimulus check, I’m thinking I didn’t really need that money, so I wanted to find a way to give it to the people that did need it.”
Her inbox was filled with hundreds of messages. Neighbors now without jobs wrote that they needed a little help paying utility bills or buying diapers.
“I just am at the end of what to do,” wrote one single mother.
“I’m behind on everything and I’m just scared,” wrote another.
“If you come across someone who needs more than I, please help them.”
“Me along with so many other people are having a really hard time financially among other things,” said Andrea Martin.
Andrea has two kids and is without a job. She is considered “high risk” for complications from COVID-19, so she and her children have self-isolated since early March.
Ann sent her $100.
“Well it might not be much to other people but for me that’s a huge deal because I had no idea I was going to pay car insurance and I don’t get much help from anyone,” Andrea said.
Ann also gifted $100 to Tricia in St. Pete. She’s fostering a 5-month-old boy who was born addicted to drugs.
“I help, that’s all I do. I just help and help and help and I kind of need a little bit of help,” she said.
She took the $100 and bought diapers, wipes, gas and groceries. That night she made a huge dish of chicken cacciatore and took what was left over to a homeless woman.
“She is a godsend. She has no idea. She has no idea how much she helped our family,” she said.
$750 for seven single moms and a couple friends who privately messaged Ann on Facebook.
“You know it’s hard enough raising children, but when you’re doing it by yourself and are having financial difficulties I just can’t imagine the stress that you’re under and I just felt like they needed the most help,” she said.
She also challenged others to pay it forward and many accepted the challenge. Offering their stimulus money and then tagging friends to keep the effort going.
Courtney Robinson also shared on Nextdoor what Ann had done. Some said they were making similar efforts or were inspired by Ann’s generosity.
Colleen in Riviera Bay posted: “I love this! I want to do the same thing, and I’m looking for people now!”
“If you think about it, if everybody just reached out to one or two people and everyone did that then everybody would be in a much better place,” said Ann.
Ann said it was simple to transfer the money. She used the Zelle and Venmo apps so no one had to exchange personal information.
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