I never thought I would be writing this.

Two years ago, I was a business owner, a mother, and someone who believed that if I worked hard enough, everything would be okay.

Today, I am fighting to rebuild my life from the ground up.

After reporting and pursuing domestic violence charges against the father of my children, my life changed forever.

What followed was not freedom or peace. It was the loss of almost everything I had worked for.

I lost my home.

I lost my stability.

I lost my primary source of income.

The food trailer that was the heart of my business and the way I provided for my children was taken from me. The business I built with my own hands, the business that helped me feed my boys and support my family, was suddenly no longer available to me.

Since then, I have been fighting on every front imaginable.

I have been fighting in court.

I have been fighting for my children.

I have been fighting to keep my business alive.

I have been fighting to keep a roof over our heads.

I have been fighting to survive financially while carrying the emotional weight of domestic violence, custody litigation, and the destruction of everything I spent years building.

Most people know me as Jenny With The Pot.

They see the food.

They see the smile.

They see the strength.

What they don’t see are the nights I cry after my children go to sleep because I don’t know how I’m going to make it through another week.

They don’t see the fear.

They don’t see the stress.

They don’t see the exhaustion that comes from constantly defending yourself, proving your truth, and trying to rebuild your life while raising two young boys.

How much more can I take?

The answer is simple.

I don’t know.

But I do know this:

I refuse to give up on Kyrie and Sebastian.

I refuse to stop fighting for my children.

I refuse to let everything I have survived be for nothing.

Today, I am asking for help.

Not because I am lazy.

Not because I am looking for a handout.

But because I am a mother who has reached a point where I cannot carry this burden alone anymore.

If you can donate, thank you.

If you can share, thank you.

If you can pray for my family, thank you.

Every act of kindness helps us take one more step forward.

With love,

Venecia “Jenny” Africa

Jenny With The Pot

Mother. Survivor. Fighter.