As one of CASA’s newest Advocates, Pia was a little apprehensive when she was matched with two teenage sisters and their five-year-old brother. But as Pia describes it, “It just felt right.” The kiddos were in the in the final stages of reuniting with their family. Their father was a hardworking man, doing everything he could to make his house a home for his children, but he still needed an apartment-sized fridge. Without hesitation, Pia decided to help get them one.
After calling her CASA Supervisor, Pia was able to secure a budget from the CASA Children's Fund. But that was only the beginning of her shopping adventure. The COVID-19 pandemic affected global supply lines and it became quite a challenge to find any fridge, let alone an apartment-sized one. Pia searched high and low, scouring big box stores and classified ads to no avail. She even visited the Watsonville Habitat for Humanity ReStore several times a week to check on their inventory, but unfortunately, they did not have the size the family needed. As time went on, Pia began to feel discouraged.
But one day, she was driving down Main Street and decided to stop at the ReStore one last time. To her amazement, she found a beautiful brand-new, apartment-sized Whirlpool fridge. Someone had dropped it off just an hour before. It was absolutely perfect except for one thing. It was listed at a higher price than Pia’s budget. Having come this far, Pia refused to accept defeat. She negotiated with the salesperson and was able to bring the price down to her budget.
Overjoyed, the father picked his family’s brand-new fridge up the next morning, just in time for Thanksgiving. To Pia, a refrigerator is an extraordinarily important part of the home, and for her, food, home, and family are all tied together. We couldn’t agree more.
Pia's unwavering commitment to this family was truly inspiring. We thank her for her hard work and dedication, and we are grateful to have her as a CASA Advocate.
