A fixture at VillageFest and the Palm Springs Certified Farmers’ Market is in need of the community’s help after losing everything in a home fire over the weekend.
Chermica Simmons, who operates Mica’s Soul Kitchen out of her home, lost that home during the fire, which occurred Saturday around 9:30 AM in the 11500 block of Foxdale Drive in Desert Hot Springs, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
Gone are essential tools she needs — including pots and pans, skillets, and utensils — as well as business basics such as her computer and printer, and food, including cooking oil, small macaroni noodles, peaches, and collard greens.
“I couldn’t imagine this in my wildest dream,” Simmons said in a social media post Sunday. “I was helpless (and) couldn’t do anything but watch my house go up in smoke as I [drove] home from working the Certified Farmers’ Market. I’m really shocked [and at a] loss of words.”
Friends, family, and those who have come to crave her cooking are rallying to Simmons’ aid. A fundraiser is underway on GoFundMe (click here to offer your support), where a goal of $25,000 was set by the organizer. Simmons is also accepting donations through Venmo and other apps. She listed those on an Instagram post here.
“Our well known and loved family and friend … is dedicated, hardworking and takes care of her family and everyone else, never asking for nothing in return,” wrote the organizer of the fundraiser. “[She] is facing a difficult time … and she needs us to come together and show her how much we love, appreciate and have her back.
“Her and her family are as wholesome as they can be and I’ve created this GoFundMe account praying that for all the good Chermica has done we can come together and let her know she doesn’t have to go through this alone.”
