My family and I have been through a lot this past year. When we moved into our current apartment, we discovered that the rental company had taken half of our deposit without our knowledge, and they disappeared before we could find out what happened. Since then, the rising cost of living in Colorado—rent, food, phones, gas—has made it nearly impossible for us to get back on our feet. Just before I was supposed to take maternity leave, I lost my job. Then, after my husband took family leave to help with our new baby, he was suspended from work for three months over a minor incident that happened before his leave. We’ve reached out to many places for help, and my husband is trying to get unemployment and temporary work, but the bills keep piling up and we’re now three months behind on rent. I’m doing everything I can to find work, but it feels like we can’t catch a break.

The funds from this fundraiser will go directly toward catching up on rent, making car payments so we don’t lose our only vehicle, providing food for our two cats, buying school supplies for my daughter, and covering basic needs like gas, phones, and internet. These essentials will help keep my family safe and stable until one of us can get back to work and we can climb out of this hole. I’ve never asked for help for myself before, but for my family, I would do anything—even swallow my pride and stubbornness. Having this help is a precious gift, and the first thing I want to do once we’re standing tall again is to help the next person in need. That’s the kind of person I want to be, and I want to keep that spark of kindness alive in the world.