Angelina Gray, Harbor City mother of 7, nominated for ABC7's 'Pay It Forward' contest

Thursday, November 1, 2018
Harbor City mom of 7 nominated for ABC7's 'Pay It Forward' contest
Angelina Gray is a working mother of seven from Harbor City. She wants to take her "Pay It Forward" nomination and take it even further to help others in need.

HARBOR CITY, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Angelina Gray is a working mother of seven from Harbor City. She wants to take her "Pay It Forward" nomination and help others in need.

Within seconds of meeting Gray, you can tell she is all about family - and not just her own seven biological adopted and foster children. She also helps others through her nonprofit, "Help Mates For Hope."

"We house mothers and children, veterans, anyone that's on the street that need a roof over their heads," Gray explained. "We give away bags to foster children that are entering the system. We have backpack giveaways and we're always having toy drives. I didn't think anyone paid attention to what I was doing."

MORE: MacArthur Park single mom nominated for ABC7's 'Pay It Forward' contest

Alejandra Celestino is a hard-working single mom who lives in a small apartment with her daughter in L.A.'s MacArthur Park. She was overjoyed when she learned she had been nominated for the "Pay It Forward" prize.

Her friend Char sure did, nominating Gray and calling her a "cheerful giver."

Now, this Harbor City mom wants to take the "Pay It Forward" furniture prize and use it to buy new beds for those needing transitional housing.

"I don't need anything. There's a lot of people out there that need a lot, so I'd rather give than receive," Gray said.

Gray is one of three "Pay It Forward" finalists announced this week leading up to Friday's big reveal. That's when the grand prize winner of $10,000 from Mathis Brothers will be announced. The other finalists also win $1,000 in furniture.