Neighbor stories

Carlsbad Neighbors Rally to Save Elderly Woman

Written by Danielle Styskal

Life had become hard for Edythe “Edie” Russell. After being evicted from her home after missing too many rent payments, the 79-year-old Carlsbad resident had resorted to living in her car, a PT Cruiser, with her two small dogs, in the parking lot of a senior center.

Moved to action by a story about Edie in the newspaper, one Carlsbad community turned to Nextdoor to gather the supplies and support that Edie needed to get back on her feet. One simple post to Nextdoor alerted neighbors to Edie’s plight – and elicited a response like no other.

One neighbor offered to repair her car battery, which had been sitting dead for weeks. A group of neighbors donated money through an online fund set up for Edie; another made a sizable donation to put Edie up at a nearby Motel 6, saving her from the piercing pain she was feeling in her knees after sleeping in the driver’s seat of her car. Other neighbors stepped up to provide pet supplies for her two dogs. Edie was overwhelmed by the immediate reaction from the community.

“People have been great,” she said.

Even now, neighbors aren’t letting Edie slip through the cracks. They value her as a member of the community and understand that at any moment, any of them could be in her shoes – and they want to help. Neighbors and well-wishers collectively raised nearly $9,000 for Edie, enough to temporarily house her at the local Motel 6 with her two pups until they are able to find a more permanent housing solution.


As reported by The San Diego Union-Tribune. Header photo courtesy of Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times.

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