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Community raises $4,000 to help mother of 5 pay rent, put Christmas gifts under the tree

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PALM HARBOR, Fla. — Christmas morning was extra sweet this year for Amaris Santana and her five children.

Her four-year-old, Niyellie, has been waiting for her doll house and garden set.

But just days before Christmas, uncertainty swirled around the household.

"We had accepted our fate. We were going to be evicted. We had no gifts, like nothing. I couldn't afford to do anything except for just tell my kids we can make the best out of this," Santana said.

In a last-ditch effort, she posted on social media, asking for help to pay off the remaining $780 in rent.

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"I get a notification after I posted that asking me, 'Hey, can I share your post from my son's youth football team?' And I said sure. Within minutes, and mind you, I've already lost hope. I wasn't expecting anything. They posted it, and within 30 minutes, it skyrocketed. Within 30 minutes, there was $3,000 plus donated to my account," she said.

Santana said one kindhearted person even donated a couple thousand dollars.

"I felt very thankful. Because we get to keep where we live. And we don't have to live anywhere else," said one of her daughters.

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"When I seen that, it was like instant tears. I started crying. She started crying. Like I couldn't even speak," Santana said.

She was also gifted three $200 Target gift cards, helping put gifts under her tree.

"It's beyond a blessing to be able to see my kids smile after that happened. And just the smile alone and knowing that they were okay. And they're safe. And they have a roof over their head was, to me the best thing, the best gift that anybody could have ever possibly given me and my family as well," Santana said.