My name is David Riley and I am a single father who is raising a teenage son. A little over a year ago we lost everything in a house fire. We became homeless. I am on disability and we could not afford to rent another home. We moved into public housing. A month later I lost my car in a wreck, and broke a bone in my neck. It was actually a reinjury.

I am going to have two surgeries soon. One to replace that vertebrae and repair the cage it was in. Then a second operation to decompress two other vertebrae.

The reason for this fund raiser is two fold. One, to get my son enrolled into high school. Two to give back to the churches and communities that have helped us. He will be a freshman and he has been the light that keeps me going. He needs clothes, shoes, supplies and football cleats. We are still wearing clothes that were donated last year after the fire. My disability check is 994 dollars per month. After bills , there is never any extra money.

We also are in need of a reliable vehicle. Right now I drive him 20 miles to football practice. Housing has us on the list to move to an apartment in the town the high school is in, but that could take months.

Since the wreck and fire we have had to utilize our local food banks. I started to notice that people were passing on a lot of items because they didn't know how to prepare them. I was a chef before becoming disabled. So I started making Facebook posts showing people how to use items offered at the food banks. It has helped a lot of people.

A local church wants me to conduct cooking classes at their church. Others have suggested that I start a YouTube channel and demonstrate recipes. Part of the money will go to that project.

Another thing I have been doing is taking home the food that is leftover at the food banks, cooking it and giving it to families in need. Unfortunately I have run a foul of the local health department and they are making me stop. Despite years of experience in kitchens and having my Serv Safe Manager certification, they won't allow me to give food cooked in my home to the public. So part of the money will go towards a small commercial kitchen i can rent. I have a lady that has offered to rent me her kitchen in her business, and just have to pay the utilities.

My surgeries sound bad but the recovery isn't. This is actually my second time, and I was back working a month afterwards. I really want to continue what I am doing for people. I have brought a lot of awareness to our local food banks.

I feel like God saved me from the fire and car wreck in order to put me in this position. I never really thought about food banks and and how badly they were needed. With food prices the way they are, you see people from all walks of life struggling to feed their families.

Finally I plan to use part of the money to start a community garden/farm. Providing produce is a challenge for the food banks. Most of the donations are from are from Walmart, and the produce is expired. I studied plant physiology with an emphasis on sustainable agriculture in college before I decided I wanted to be a chef. I have commitments from local property owners to use their land.

Im just trying to get back on my feet, raise my son, and give back to the churches and communities that have helped us this past year. Thanking you in advance and may God bless you.