The Mercedes community showed up in force to help the Posada family Thursday after they shared their story with The Monitor as part of its Spirit of Christmas campaign.
The Posadas, both 73, care for four great-grandchildren and struggle with food insecurity and basic necessities in their home after a series of misfortunes set them back financially.
Thursday brought some blessings for the deeply religious couple.
Friends, neighbors, city officials and strangers rallied around the Posadas, giving freely.
“There’s a lot of people coming and bringing things,” Josefina Posada said Thursday afternoon. “I’ve been blessed this day.”
Donors included the Mercedes Public Safety Department. Police Chief Pedro Estrada and several investigators stopped by the family’s home Thursday morning, bringing groceries donated by Mercedes Mayor Oscar Montoya, according to a news release from the city.
“It is a great day when you can put smiles on the faces of a family during a time of need,” Estrada wrote in the release. “It was beautiful to see other individuals dropping off groceries when we were there, some even dropped off appliances. I want to thank the community for their commitment to Mercedes.”
The Posada’s refrigerator is broken, and donations include a pledge to donate a new one, though it hadn’t yet arrived Thursday afternoon.
One man — a stranger, Josefina said — showed up Thursday morning with a bed, a lawn mower and $600 for the Posadas, money he said that he and his friends had pooled together.
The man said he’ll be back later with a Christmas tree, Josefina said.
“We prayed,” she said. “We knew we needed something, some kind of help or a miracle, and sure enough, this morning here comes this man out of nowhere.”
One more unexpected blessing: the Posadas’ long awaited food stamps arrived Thursday.
Josefina said she and her husband, Paulo, stepped outside to pray Wednesday evening. All in all, she said they woke up Thursday to an authentic Christmas miracle.
The Posadas and other Rio Grande Valley families in need continue to struggle.
To help, call the United Way of South Texas at (956) 686-6331 and inquire about this family and the Spirit of Christmas campaign. The Monitor has partnered with the United Way of South Texas to garner support for Rio Grande Valley families in need of monetary donations, or other items and gifts specified in this story.
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