Hello, my name is Hilary and I appreciate you taking the time to check my fundraiser, whether you're a new friend, or an old one. I'm making this GoFundMe today because I need some help, which I've never been good at asking for, but here goes nothing.

For the past year, since August 2024, I've been struggling to find a steady job that pays me enough to survive, bouncing from dead end job to dead end job, not staying for more than a few months at a time. Due to the instability, I've been working for Instacart as a full time shopper and delivery driver in a desperate attempt to make ends meet, both currently as well as in between jobs. Instacart is unfortunately not lucrative in the area in which I live, which leads to me needing to drive extreme distances across the state as well as occasionally having to cross state lines into Vermont, New York, and Connecticut in order to find orders/work. Due to working long hours with not much financial return, sometimes working 10 hour days while making less than $100, coupled with the extra wear and tear on my vehicle, it has made both paying my bills and maintaining my car very difficult, if not near impossible. I've fallen severely behind on several bills, including my car insurance which was recently cancelled due to nonpayment. My income currently isn't enough to catch up, let alone sustain me moving forward, and if I don't have car insurance, I cant drive, and therefor obviously can't work. As well as my car insurance getting canceled, I'm roughly 3 months behind on my student loan payments, as well as being behind on other smaller bills such as my EZPass for the highway.

On 7/17/25 I enrolled in tractor trailer driving school in an attempt to secure a steady career as well as financial stability for myself moving forward, however the program is 5 months long, so I wont be able to get a job in this field until after I graduate and get my CDL. The total cost of the program is $12,795.00 minus the $100 registration fee, which brings the total down to $12,695.00. I was able to get a loan through the school for $6,895.00, which I will start paying back upon my graduation on 12/19/25, leaving a remaining balance of $5,800 that I'm responsible for, being paid at a rate of $150 a week starting on 7/25/25. Currently, I will be able to make those weekly payments for school with what little I make from Instacart as I continue to still search for other steady work aside from that. However, my current income is not enough to cover my schooling, reinstate my car insurance, pay down my other debts, nor fix my vehicle.

Over the past week, I have also met with a car dealership to look at new vehicles, as I genuinely feel mine wont last through the next 5 months of school let alone the brutal New England winter shortly to follow, but due to my lack of a down-payment, lack of pay-stubs, and poor credit caused by my inability to stay current on bills, I am not able to secure a loan for a new car on my own, which I desperately need. The list of things wrong with my car now outweighs the cost of the car itself. The list of repairs includes: a new serpentine belt, drivers side tie rod, new front tires, an alignment, air conditioner recharge, passenger side headlight needs an entirely new headlight assembly as the built in light bar is out. Both fog lights, passenger side headlight, and drivers side break light need to be replaced, check engine light comes on and off every few days, airbag system malfunction light is on, drivers side dome light is out, back passenger dome light is out, cruise control doesn't engage, backup camera shows a black screen, drivers side window button spring is shot, and the volume control on the steering wheel doesn't work. All of these issues have made it difficult, if not very dangerous for me to do my job, when I rely so heavily on my vehicle to be able to work.

Today I am asking for help getting through the next 5 months, so I will be able to reinstate my car insurance, get current on my past due bills, as well as be able to make a few of the more serious car repairs to get me through until graduation. Thank you very much for taking the time to read my story this far and hear my plight. If you aren't able to donate, I would still be insanely grateful if you wouldn't mind at least sharing this fundraiser, either way I'm very thankful you're here.

Thank you

Update: 7/22 - I met with the financial aid office for school again today with more information for them, and I was able to get a Pell Grant for $5,433 of the $5,800 remainder of my tuition, which means I only have to pay $377 out of pocket through the next few months of school, which is a huge help! I will now be able to focus more on my studies, as well as being able to more easily work towards fixing my vehicle for the next few months. I am so humbled and grateful for every single person who has shared, donated, or even just simply taken the time to read my story. Every single one of you is appreciated endlessly. Thank you for everything!