Help Jennifer and Her Kids Find Stability

This story is a little long but worth the read. We're hoping that you might consider donating to help Jennifer and her kids, and/or if you can't contribute financially at this time, perhaps you can share her GoFundMe so that others can. THANK YOU!

As many of you know, my daughter Hannah held a collection for the victims of Hurricane Helene, and in early December, with the help of some friends, we packed up a trailer filled with all of the donated goods and headed down to Asheville, NC.

When we were about an hour out from our destination, I decided to send a quick text to the wonderful woman who had been helping us throughout the process, simply to let her know that we were almost there. We weren't going to meet up with her, however, I knew she'd be so happy to know that a trailer full of phase II supplies was on its way to help the Ashville community. With that, she asked me if there was any food on our trailer that we could drop off to a mother of six (ages 6 to 16) who had lost their camper in the storm, and who was also about to be kicked out of the temporary housing that she and her kids were staying in.

At that point, we said absolutely, and she connected us with the mom, who, for the sake of her privacy, I'm going to call Jennifer. I reached out to Jennifer and asked if there was anything specific that she needed or wanted and she said no, that she could make any food work, just preferably food that had a shelf life since she didn't know where they would be next. With that, we arrived at our drop-off location, unloaded everything (except items we had pulled for Jennifer), and then headed straight for her temporary apartment.

Upon meeting Jennifer you could just feel the exhaustion and worry of this sweet mother, and yet, upon meeting a couple of her kids, they had no idea as to how stressed their mom really was. When we finished unloading and went back to the truck, Hannah asked if there was any more money left from her collection/fundraiser. We told her she still had about $1000 (that she had planned to spend the next day so that we could bring more items to the ABCCM (where we had dropped everything off earlier that day). Hannah decided, that since we had already dropped so much off to the ABCCM, she wanted to give the remaining funds to Jennifer. We went back to her apartment, handed her the folded-up funds, and left with a promise to keep in touch. Jennifer was already so appreciative of all the food and cleaning supplies we had dropped off, but once we were back in the truck heading to our hotel, she was calling. When we picked up the line, she thanked us once again for everything, then continued by saying, "I think you all made a mistake. I just looked at the money that you handed me and there's a $1000 here." We assured her that it was not a mistake, told her about Hannah's drive/fundraiser, and that Hannah wanted her to have the remaining funds. Through tears, Jennifer said that we had no idea how much this was going to help her and her kids. That with these funds, she's that much closer to the deposit + first month downpayment that she needs on an apartment rental.

The next day, on our drive back to NJ, we talked about ways our family could help Jennifer, and as promised we've kept in touch and have gotten to know her better. Jennifer has not had an easy life, and without getting into the nitty gritty of what she has experienced, in a nutshell, she was abandoned by her parents at just 8 months old, was primarily raised by her paternal grandparents until she ended up in the foster system at just 14 years old. Her first child came when she aged out of the system and officially adopted her nephew due to her sister's ongoing struggles with drugs; then, just a couple of years later, she gave birth to her first daughter with her now ex, who she ended up leaving due to domestic violence. About a year or so later, Jennifer began a relationship with someone new, and they brought four beautiful babies into the world; however, just a few years ago, Jennifer had to leave him as well due to some familiar behavior red flags that she began noticing. Since that moment, Jennifer has been on her own entirely with her six children, trying to keep them safe and give them a better life than she had. A life filled with more love and fewer struggles.

Prior to the hurricane, Jennifer and her kids were living in a mobile home. While Jennifer was never able to get a college degree, she was working steadily as a Certified Peer Support Specialist, as well as working as a parking attendant to bring in some extra money. When the storm hit, Jennifer and the kids were able to get out of their camper (located on a friend's property). However, it was completely destroyed in the storm. Thankfully, FEMA provided them with a hotel for 1.5 months along with $750, but Jennifer knew this would quickly run out. While struggling to find new housing, Jennifer was also let go from her job, and as of today, she is down to working only a single parking lot. Getting a traditional 9 - 5 job is extremely challenging, given she often has to call out for one of her kids, etc., but despite all of this, she is still trying her best to provide for her children.

Currently, Jennifer is looking for more steady work as well as an apartment that she and the kids can move into. Thankfully, someone did donate another mobile home to her along with permission to stay on the property for a year, however, between the 7 of them, it's not a practical long-term solution. Jennifer has qualified for rental assistance; however, at the moment, she can't find an apartment (she had two leads that fell through).

So often, we talk about our "tribe," the built-in support system that many of us are fortunate enough to have been born into. I only have two children, work from home, and make my own hours, yet I can't imagine not having my wonderful in-laws, parents, and friends to lean on for much-needed support, whether it's giving my daughter a ride to music or assisting with tedious home/work tasks. I don't know what it's like NOT to have help when I need it. Then here's Jennifer, this awesome, loving mom that I've gotten to know who has never known the feeling of being whole-heartedly supported, who has faced some unthinkable situations, and yet is still so grateful for the little that she does have, and who is trying her best to stay afloat in life. Our family decided that we want to be Jennifer's tribe, despite the three states that separate us. I know there are so many people and causes out there who need help; Infinite Love being one of them that many of you already donate to, and I know there's only so much that you can give. But we're going to keep this GoFundMe open for a while, and if at any point you think you might be able to help us help Jennifer, we, and she would greatly appreciate it! Everyone deserves a tribe of people who are going to be on their side; help us show Jennifer that she is not alone.

Funds raised for Jennifer will go towards helping with rent, groceries, utilities, and if we're able to raise the full amount, funds will help her take online college courses!