‘It’s hard to do everything by yourself.’ Single mom needs help finding a job, new home
For most of their lives, Lorena Torrente’s family has survived on ice cream.
The single mother of four has sold the cold, delicious treat around her Liberty City neighborhood for years to help put food on the table and pay her bills.
Running an ice cream truck, she said, means you never know where you’ll find a customer or how much you’ll make. But she had her regulars. Her popular flavors were strawberry shortcake and chocolate.
Then the COVID-19 pandemic struck, and Torrente’s business was hit hard.
No one wanted to go outside. Many lost their jobs. Torrente had to stay home with the kids, who were now learning online.
And then the engine of her 1996 Ford Econoline ice cream truck died.
Torrente, who was pregnant at the time with her fourth child, didn’t have enough money to fix it or buy another one. And the few employers who were hiring didn’t want a pregnant high school dropout, the 40-year-old said.
Her family lost its home and scrapped the truck. In December, using what was left of her savings (and with help from a friend), they moved into a hotel room. But they couldn’t stay there forever. An online search led Torrente to the Miami Rescue Mission Broward Outreach Centers, also known as The Caring Place.
The organization gave her family a room with bunk beds at its temporary housing facility in Miami Gardens and later moved them into a temporary home, which they share with two other families. Torrente and her kids — 9-month-old Melissa, 3-year-old Rafael, 10-year-old Noelis and 15-year-old Noelia — share a room.
Torrente came to the United States from Nicaragua at the age of 9 with her parents in search of a better life, never thinking she would one day be homeless. Her goal is to get a GED so she can get a job helping others. She dreams of a better life for her children.
“I tell them every day to study, finish school, do a career, so they can afford real life when they grow up because if you don’t study, if you don’t have a job, you don’t earn that much,” Torrente said.
Torrente is now working as a food delivery driver because she hasn’t found an employer who is willing to hire a high school dropout and pay her well — enough for her to live in an affordable home.
Food delivery gives her the flexibility she needs to take Rafael to his weekly therapy sessions to learn why he has a speech delay. But it’s challenging, she said, because she can’t leave the kids alone and has to take all four of them with her.
She’s also not making enough money. Unlike hourly jobs, Torrente is paid for every delivery she completes. She believes it will get better once they have a home. Then her kids, who are in virtual school, can go back to in-person learning and she’ll have more time to work, both as a food delivery driver and as a ride-share driver, until she gets her GED. At least, that’s the plan.
“It’s not easy being a single mom,” Torrente said. “It’s hard to do everything by yourself.”
The mom’s dedication to her children is why Joyce Benjamin, her case manager, nominated her for Wish Book.
“Hugs and affirmation. That’s Lorena,” Benjamin said, “always trying to give her kids hope” as she works to get them a home.
Torrente’s wish this holiday season is to get two laptops to help with her and her children’s education, a tablet for her son to practice his speech, and new shoes, clothes and toys for her kids.
Torrente, with the help of Miami Rescue Mission, has applied for housing and is hoping she’ll get a home soon. She still needs a job.
“If I have to work in anything, I’ll do it, I don’t mind,” Torrente said. “If I have to work in cleaning or in a store, I’ll do anything.”
For now, she’ll keep delivering food to try and save money for a new place.
“One day, we’re gonna have our own place that is not going to be the floor,” Torrente said.
How to help
To help this nominee and 150 other nominees who are in need this year:
▪ To donate, use the coupon found in the newspaper or pay securely online through www.MiamiHerald.com/wishbook
▪ For more information, call 305-376-2906 or emailWishbook@MiamiHerald.com
▪ The most requested items are often laptops and tablets for school, furniture, and accessible vans
▪ Read all Wish Book stories on www.MiamiHerald.com/wishbook
This story was originally published November 24, 2021 at 7:00 AM.
