People Making A Difference: Couple Helping Families Of Children With Traumatic Brain Injuries Make Ends Meet Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Families across the globe are feeling the devastating financial impact due to loss of employment caused by the coronavirus, but one Culver City couple is helping struggling families of children with traumatic brain injuries make ends meet.

That couple, Eric and Angela Weingrad, started their organization Holton's Heroes after their son, Holton, suffered a traumatic brain injury while in the care of a nanny at 11 months old.

"He spent weeks in a coma, and the first year agter the injury was by far the hardest year of our life," Eric said.

The enormous outpouring of support and hope from family, friends and strangers inspired them to launch the nonprofit that focuses on helping families struggling with the expenses of caring for a child with special needs due to a traumatic brain injury.

"What we do is we provide in-home therapy equipment that's usually very expensive," Eric said. "It can range from hundreds of dollars to thousands of dollars."

And now with the sudden loss of jobs as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Holton's Heroes dedicated $10,000 in grocery store gift cards to the Holton's Heroes Food Fund.

"I think we're all hurting financially, and it's going to get even worse," Angela said. "But this is just a little something to help people that we can do that makes us feel good to be able to help people."

In just one week, the entire $10,000 was donated to 25 families of children with traumatic brain injuries in 14 different states.

"Right now what we're doing feels good but we're really just concerned," Eric said. "We're concerned for our country, we're concerned for special needs families everywhere."

Those interested in donating to Holton's Heroes Food Fund to help support families of children with traumatic brain injuries can visit the organization's website.