Health worker and mom of 4, gets new home after outpouring of support following house fire

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Lastar Jenkins and her family will have a Merry Christmas after all - and you can say it came early Monday.

"I really want to say thank you guys for really helping me and my family," said Lastar.

A happy holiday was practically unfathomable a month ago. That was when the home Lastar rented caught fire a few days after Thanksgiving.

She and her kids jumped out of a window and escaped with their lives but not much else.

"We lost everything - it’s kind of devastating to start all over," she told FOX 2 last week. "My daughter's birthday is Christmas Eve so it’s like even if I did get Christmas gifts where would they go?"

Lastar was back at work administering COVID-19 vaccines for Detroit’s health department the very next day.

Her co-workers at the Northwest Activities Center heard about the fire and agreed to adopt Lastar’s family for Christmas.

Lastar Jenkins got emotional thanking everyone Monday.

Chelsea Williams helped lead the effort.

"We are all mothers in here and we all know how hard it is to struggle especially around this time," she said. "And we've got to take care of our own. aint that right, ya’ll?"

"It’s such a blessing to be a blessing to someone in need," said Joi Little.

"When they found out about the incident, it was natural for them as caregivers to care for one another," said Dr. Iris Taylor, Detroit Health Department.

FOX 2 first told you about Lastar’s story last week and since then, people from around the region and across the country have reached out to help her family find their footing.

They did that and then some – giving donations, helping her shop for clothes and toys for the kids, and on top of that, she’s now in a new home.

"I really want to say thank you to each and every last one of them," Lastar said. "It shows that as a community of people, we all still know how to come together and be able to help one another, despite if you know them or don't know them."

Lastar Jenkins and her family at a Christmas party thrown for them by her city of Detroit co-workers.

There were a number of people who stepped in to help Lastar, including Wayne County Sheriff Raphael Washington and his office who took her and other families shopping. Many others also helped including the Detroit Demolition Department, Second Ebeneezer Chuch, radio host DJ BJ on 107.5 and countless others.