*Updating these efforts to help an important member in our community!

I first met Michelle at the beginning of the pandemic. Schools had just begun shutting down and during efforts to collect community members willing to help others, she was one of the most frequent and enthusiastic participants. From baking bread for those with food insecurity to eagerly going toward holiday and gift card drives, I was touched by Michelle’s authentic kindness.

Now it’s our turn to step up and help Michelle. She is currently navigating through a horrific life change and moving on to a fresh start with her two lovely kids- read Michelle’s words below about her journey toward a happier and healthier future for her and her kids and please contribute all that you’re able!

”My name is Michelle, and I am a 36-year-old mom of two awesome kids. My 14-year-old daughter is in her first year of high school. She is sassy, incredibly smart, and gorgeous. She loves spending time with her friends and going shopping. My 7-year-old son is in first grade. He is artistic, a goof ball, and very caring. He loves videogames and playing with animals. We also have a few pets. Mr. Briggins, Scribbles, and Digit are our cats. We have a betta fish named Swim Shady. And finally, our flock: 2 Muscovy ducks named Dot and Ducko, and 8 assorted chickens named Big Red, Cheeks, Emo Chicken, Earlobes, Mohawk, Crouton, and the Fat Twins (I can’t tell them apart).

I work full time as a Medical Assistant in a primary care office. In my free time (ha) I also bake. This school year I took on two new volunteer roles at my son’s school as the school nurse (administrative) and PTF president.

To keep my karma points up, I try my best to help out the community by donating blood regularly and donating time, rides, food, clothing, and other items to needy neighbors in Shoreline. Unfortunately, things have changed significantly in the last few months, and I now am finding myself and my children in need of assistance.

Without getting into too many details (everyone already knows how to Google anyway), my husband of 8 years was arrested in October, and again in November for felonies relating to domestic violence and crimes against children. He is no longer living in the house, and we have a domestic violence protection order in place. This has obviously turned our world completely upside down. Suddenly, on top of my already full schedule, I have to add in being a solo parent, court hearings, police interviews, doctor/therapy appointments, meetings with lawyers and CPS, and trying to hold it all together for my kids.

A major struggle we have faced is finances. Even after getting married, our finances were always separate, so I have no access to the money my husband makes or has saved. Per the protection order, he has continued to pay the mortgage and utilities, which means that the kids and I do still have a home to live in. At least for now.

Because of my work schedule, my husband used to take care of dropping off and picking up the kids from school. Suddenly, I had to let my work know that I would be 2-3 hours late every day, and leave 1-2 hours early. Because of my reduced hours at work, I was getting much smaller pay checks, and falling behind on my responsibilities, which only caused more stress. Eventually, I found a great babysitter who is able to pick my son up and then watch him until I get home at night. She has been so helpful, but if I factor in taxes and travel, she ends up making more per hour than I do.

I also really struggled to find a family lawyer to represent me. I contacted 26 law offices looking for help. Several replied that they were unable to help me or referred me to other offices. A few were able to give me a quote up front, ranging from $7,500 to $15,000, to start a divorce. Most of the law offices offered to book me for a consultation in order to get more information and give me a price for their services. The consultations ranged in price from $150 to $600. And because these lawyers work just about the same hours as me, I would have to clock out to take a break for these meetings, losing even more wages. In one consultation, I had been quoted $10,000 to start the divorce, but was told that because I don’t make very much money, he would actually require $15,000 to start, as there would be a chance that I “wouldn’t be able to afford the services”. Nothing like being kicked when you are down. Thankfully, I found the Moderate Means Program, and was matched with a lawyer who works on reduced fee scale and is able to represent me in both the domestic violence case, and the divorce. My lawyer and his associates have been wonderful to work with, but still difficult to afford, even with help from my family.

If you’ve ever heard the expression “when it rains, it pours”, then get your umbrella ready. Once month before the first arrest, my son and I were involved in a bad car accident. My car was totaled and I am still dealing with physical injuries. Hopefully in the next month I will be having a procedure done to resolve the issue. Having a car payment again sucks too. Our house is very old and is heated by a gas stove in the living room. The stove broke in October, and my dad tried to fix it but was unable to, so we are using space heaters in each room to keep warm. With lows in the teens the last few days, they are working overtime. This is embarrassing, but we have also been dealing with a huge flea problem. I know it comes with owning cats, but this feels extreme. Flea pills, drops, spray for the carpet, and sticky traps are all extra expenses I did not plan on. Then the chimney started leaking water into the house when it rains. Also because of the rain, algae started growing all over our driveway making it very slippery and dangerous to walk on. This is something I have to clean asap. Unfortunately, there are a few other major ones, but I am not willing to discuss those publicly.

With all the stress, my mental health has really suffered. I decided to take medical leave (FMLA) from work starting 1/8 so that I can better take care of myself, and in turn, better focus on my children and help them with their struggles. The leave of absence is paid, after a waiting period, once approved. After applying, I was informed that there are a high number of applications, and it could take at least 4 weeks just to be approved by the state. On top of that, I have already used up all my PTO covering my time off for hearings and appointments. The divorce papers were filed, but I do not have a timeline for when I might expect to begin receiving child support.

At this point I am asking for help to cover our living expenses for the next two months. This will help us with food, clothes, household needs, pet food, out of pocket medical costs (copays, medications, meeting our deductible, etc.), gas, lawyers fees, and any other lovely surprises that pop up. I don’t know what the future will hold for us, but I appreciate any help that you are able to give to help us get there.”