Inside one Palm Springs woman’s journey to reunite with her son, one can at a time

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – If you look around town, you might come across one woman searching for bottles and cans in the recycling bin.

"This is definitely a smelly job," said Alisha Gerholdt, lifiting her shirt to cover her nose, laughing.

Her journey hasn't been an easy one. Despite being a cardiac patient since she was a toddler and undergoing several heart surgeries, her fight and determination hasn't wavered.

After her most recent open-heart surgery, she said changes to her health have changed her life for the worse. In the year since, she lost her home, belongings, financial stability, and independence – as well as her son, who she became separated with. She said because of her declining health, she could no longer provide a stable life for him, and she sent him to live with his father in Texas.

Now, she has created an initiative to reunite with him: "Recycle to Reunite."

It's a community-wide recycling campaign to raise money to purchase a used mobile home and move closer to her son in Texas.

That's why, despite dealing with the heat, she goes out to sift through trash bins in search of bottles and cans. She recycles them, and slowly, nickel by nickel, she's saving money with a dream in mind.

On her GoFundMe page, she wrote the following:

"Every can collected, every bottle donated, every dollar contributed, and every person who shares this story helps bring me one step closer to home.

I am not asking for someone to fix my life. I am asking for an opportunity to rebuild it."

On the side, she's been using some of the money to purchase supplies for "blessing bags" – a program her church provides to give the homeless key hydration, snacks, and other essentials to the unhoused in Palm Springs. Elders at Our Saviors Church in Palm Springs called her actions inspiring.

"It's painful at times to see her go through her medical stuff," said church elder, Chris Meyer. "Not to have anything, and to be homeless if it wasn't for her grandmother. It makes us all a better person. We get to see God in action through Alisha."

For Meyer, the most inspiring part of Gerholdt's story was her selflessness. Despite going through so much, her willingness to help others stood out to him.

I asked Alisha that question: "How do you still find the ability to go out and make things like these homeless bags and be able to give back to the community?"

"Because it's something I've always done regardless," she said without missing a beat. "I've got things, but, you know, somebody else may have it worse."

You can find her GoFundMe donation page by clicking here. She had put in $1,100 on the page in an offline donation, representing what she had saved and raised through recycling as of Wednesday, July 29th.