Black Fairy Godmother comes to the rescue of more than 100 people after Ida

EAST ORANGE, NJ — “When the power went out for two days, all the food I had bought before Ida hit was no good. I reached out to the Black Fairy Godmother Foundation and they sent groceries to my home. I’m so thankful for their help,” East Orange resident Janine M. said.

Janine M. was just one of many that young philanthropist Simone Gordon, founder and CEO of the Black Fairy Godmother Foundation, a New Jersey–based nonprofit organization that assists communities in need across the country, had assisted when the remnants of Hurricane Ida hit the area, destroying many homes and leaving folks without food and utilities.

The organization arranged for those who have lost their homes to have shelter through Airbnb, made arrangements with Instacart to help deliver food to families, and provided clothing and gas cards.

“I didn’t even know there was a storm coming until it hit,” East Orange resident April W. said. “My family and I went without power for two weeks and my mother is disabled. Ms. Gordon and her organization provided necessities and food to help us get by. She even checked in with me on a daily basis to see if there was anything else we needed.”

Gordon helped several individuals from the Garden State and in the Gulf Coast areas in Louisiana — 125 people in total — all while dealing with flooding in her family’s New Jersey home.

The efforts Gordon has put forth for families in need have not gone unnoticed; others, such as the Gates Foundation, have awarded the Black Fairy Godmother Foundation with a grant so that Gordon can carry on the mission she had started almost three years ago.

  Hurricane Ida