“She’s helped me when I’ve been at my worst,” said a Warwick woman who recently left an abusive relationship. Her partner’s abuse wasn’t the only thing she walked away from, said the woman, who asked that her name not be used.
“Really, I left everything behind,” she said. That included clothes, her children’s toys, and furniture.
She saw a friend donating clothes through a Facebook page called the Warwick Gifters, and reached out on her own behalf via personal message on Facebook. Hernandez offered to help her refurnish her new beginning.
“She allowed me to come and look when there weren’t a lot of people,” the woman said. Hernandez’s help has been a solid comfort.
“She always comes through,” the mother said.
Hernandez, a mom of two and a resident of Warwick for three years, launched the Warwick Gifters Facebook page in October after helping a friend shoot family portraits for families in homeless shelters.
About 14 families met with Hernandez and her friend at Roger Williams Park in mid-October, one of the few cold days during the month. The children, she noticed, were shivering from the cold. They didn’t have winter coats.
Hernandez decided to ask friends on Facebook to help her collect enough winter coats for the kids. She and her friends collected donated coats, hats, and snow pants.
“So every child got the works in their size,” Hernandez. After that, she created a dedicated page to drives for needful items for people struggling, naming it the Warwick Gifters.
The group has championed several crises for families and parents in need  since then.
“Needed! 20 High School ladies in need of Prom Dresses!! Local generosity has allowed us to expand! If you know of someone in need of a Prom Dress that would be interested in attending our Boutique Day on April 2, send us an email ASAP!” reads one of several messages Hernandez has written to her followers over the last few months.
Hernandez and the Warwick Gifters have helped provide gifts for families during Christmas, and have also lately started providing birthday supplies for needy families, and fresh produce, too.
Hernandez said she’s always open to hearing from new people who need help, and from people who want to help.
Folks from either group can reach Hernandez via direct message on the Warwick Gifters Facebook page.
Author: Rob Borkowski
Rob has worked as reporter and editor for several publications, including The Kent County Daily Times and Coventry Courier, before working for Gatehouse in MA then moving home with Patch Media. Now he's publisher and editor of WarwickPost.com. Contact him at [email protected] with tips, press releases, advertising inquiries, and concerns.
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