text: BlackFairyGodmother - Meet Simone Gordon, the Angel Behind Instagrams's BlackFairyGodmother Account
  November 22, 2019 – 2:47 PM – 0 Comments
  When Simone Gordon tells me she doesn't sleep, I believe her. After all, she's a full-time nursing student, a single mom to a non-verbal 9-year-old son who has autism, and a part-time waitress. And the 33-year-old, who resides in Bloomfield, NJ, is the magic behind the @blackfairygodmother account on Instagram, where her 5K+ followers and team of four volunteers help people get out of emergency situations.
  Every day, Gordon receives roughly 31 messages on her personal Facebook account and on Instagram. The messages are dire, and sometimes life or death. Many are from minority women in domestic abuse situations who need a place to stay, single moms who can't afford diapers, wipes, or formula, people in the LGBT community who got kicked out of their homes or apartments, men who are escaping domestic abuse relationships, elderly people who can't afford their medications and various other personal emergencies.
  A post shared by Simone Gordon (@blackfairygodmother) on Nov 21, 2019 at 6:02pm PST
  "Families are just not getting the help they need," Gordon tells Parade.com. "It's not just families who are on welfare—these are actually working class families. Sometimes, they just come up short because of the cost of living." One woman who contacted her needed help buying food because she worked five hours overtime, disqualifying her from receiving food stamps.
  "We're one of the richest countries in the world and we need to take care of each other," she says.
  In a roundup of recent calls to action that Gordon posted to her followers, there's one mom whose electricity got shut off and her kids were cold, another family who couldn't afford a family's funeral costs, another who needed help with a water bill. Gordon and her team of volunteers personally vet each message by asking for a bill for proof and talking to the person more to learn about their situation. While Gordon says she's rarely ever been messaged by a scammer, if it does happen, her team immediately blocks them.
  Gordon's efforts first started when her son was younger and she had her own trouble affording formula, Pampers and then Depends when he needed them. After she had no luck with non-profit organizations helping her, she found a Facebook group called "Reparations and Offerings" where people would donate items to people who posted, including Gordon.
  A post shared by Simone Gordon (@blackfairygodmother) on Nov 21, 2019 at 6:43am PST
  After seeing everyone's kindness, Gordon decided to do something about it. "I went on Facebook and shouted at people who were sending money to all these big nonprofits," she says. "I said, 'I'm in a group where women, who are minorities, are asking for food, they're asking for diapers, they're asking for medicine, one woman was asking for help paying for chemo and none of these non-profits would answer these moms.'"
  It was then that she decided to help set up Amazon and Target wishlists, where recipient info could be kept private so that people can easily donate items to people in need. "People can click on the link, send the diapers and keep it moving," she explains.
  In 2016, Gordon created her own Facebook group under the BlackFairyGodmother title and eventually moved over to Instagram. She had 110 followers and a steady stream of helpers, but got some major exposure when authors Elizabeth Gilbert and Jennifer Pastiloff shouted out her page to their own followers. Overnight, she went from 110 followers to over 5K.
  But for Gordon, it's not about followers and fanfare. She doesn't collect any money for herself and in fact, donates out of her own pocket on a daily occurrence to people who contact her. For her, it's about the people who reach out to her. One woman she's grown close with is named Georgina, a mom of five kids who lives in Louisiana.
  "When she contacted me for help, she was living in a trailer and needed help with food," Gordon says. "I said to her, "We'll give you food, we'll give you help, but we need to do a vision board and get you back in school."
  Gordon acts as a mentor to many of the women who contact her, helping them get back on their feet and guiding them in the process.
  I was just that girl from East Orange,NJ who is talk to strangers as a young girl. My mom use to say Simone do not talk to strangers, stop feeding birds, stop giving folks your juice cup etc..I was that girl who wanted to help. I use to get tease for not having things in high school, I accepted my ex and his abusive ways and thought it was love, I fought for past 7 years for my son to have education and fought the system to get him best special needs advocacy, I helped so many women via internet and shared tears with ..I do it for love and to give people hope. I never knew someone was watching me…and acknowledge my love for people point blank period . I am humble at this Purple Diamond Visionary Award 2019. I thank each and love every one of you. @jenpastiloff @msdivadazz @elizabeth_gilbert_writer
  A post shared by Simone Gordon (@blackfairygodmother) on Nov 17, 2019 at 3:35pm PST
  "At the time she was 27, and she didn't have a GED," Gordon explains. "To make a long story short, we got her out of the trailer—she's in a home. We got her a car. We got her enrolled in school. She changed her life and now she's also a mentor to other people."
  Georgina's story is just one of many. "I have one domestic violence victim who was burned by her ex," she says. "She went to every shelter with no luck, so we had to put her in an emergency Airbnb because at a hotel, you can call up a hotel and ask for a person and they'll tell you what room the person is in. So we put her in a safe spot, we fed her, and relocated her kids. This is the work I do non-stop."
  It takes a toll, but Gordon says she has no plans on slowing down.
  "I have a dream to open my own shelter or transitional home and work with domestic violence victims and single mothers—people who are trying to transition their lives and don't have family and know where to go," she says.
  For her, it's hopeful to see the many people who step up and help.
  "I had one woman inbox me just now that she was going to buy herself a Michael Kors bag but decided to use the money to pay someone's light bill so that their kids will be warm," she says. "People are opening their eyes."
  Gordon is also busy gearing up for her Wishlist Angel project, which she does every year for Christmas. It's where she helps families in need put 20 items on a wishlist at Walmart, Amazon or Target for items at a range of prices, and then people gift the items asked for.
  "I'm asking people to step up and be a wishlist angel," she says. "Buy one toy and make a child smile. Let's love on one another."
  She plans to post the first 10 wishlists on Monday, Nov. 25 and then add more as they come in.
  "I know I'm not going to save the world, but we have to understand what people are really going through," she tells us. "I have a kid right now who's asking for a bed because he hasn't had one in three years. He said he doesn't even care if it's an airbed."
  "You know that I'm going to get a full size bed for him, right?" she smiles. "I'm going to make sure we get that bed for that kid."
  If you want to learn more about Gordon and see how you can help, as well be a wishlist angel, follow her on Instagram here.