Help Needed for Single Mom with Children
Donation protected
We have all heard the phrase “the right person, in the right place, at the right time”. Last week I was in a conversation that led to me learning about a single mother of two teenage boys What pulled on my heart was hearing about the older son informing his mother that he didn’t eat lunch at school because there was only $6.00 on the children’s school lunch account so he let the younger brother eat. When his mother asked why he didn’t call her he replied “Mom I didn’t call because I knew you didn’t have any money so I decided I would wait until I got home to eat”. All I could think of is how difficult it must have been for the mother to hear the words her son spoke. My immediate thoughts were is this merely a coincidence that I heard about this or was this God encouraging me to be the right person, in the right place, at the right time.
The more I thought about what I heard the more I felt that this was a situation I couldn’t ignore. I couldn’t imagine the pain this woman felt and hope I never have to experience what she is going through. The following day we addressed the immediate situation by making sure there were adequate funds in the children’s lunch account, but felt more help maybe needed.
We reached out to the mother to let her know we wanted to help and asked if she would be willing to talk to us. She was very grateful for the offer, but replied “no, we are fine, but thank you”. Obviously things were not fine. I could hear in her voice that pride was standing in the way and she needed help, but was too embarrassed to admit it. I gave her my phone number and asked that she think about talking with us more and assured her our conversations were confidential.
The next day the mother called me to thank me for the money added to the children’s lunch account and for talking to her the day before. We talked for a few minutes and I asked her to tell me about her boys and herself. I learned that she recently transferred her boys from a failing public school to a Christian Private School so they could get a quality education in a safe and secure environment. At the beginning of 2020 she accepted a new job with better pay and benefits, but was laid off in March due to the pandemic. Complicating her situation more is that her husband left her a few years ago for another woman and he wasn’t paying the child support he was ordered to pay in the divorce papers. We talked for about an hour and she agreed to meet with me the following day to talk more. I wanted to see if I could get her to the right people to help with the child support and see what other immediate needs she may have.
It’s been a week now since I first talked with her and after many conversations I finally convinced her to swallow her pride and share with me her story and her needs to take care of her boys and herself. She has an appointment to meet with the Child Support Office this week, but it is going to take some time for that process. We have found her some help with food for the next week, but more financial help is needed. The most important thing to her is the children’s education and making sure they have what they need for school. I can understand why she doesn’t want to put the boys back in public school.
We are trying to help this family and believe this is an opportunity to make a huge difference in this family’s stability and the future of two young men. Despite our wish to help we have limited resources. Please pray for this family and if you are able to contribute a small amount together we can make a positive impact on this family. I admire her oldest son for making sure his younger brother got to eat lunch, but no child should have to miss a meal so another one can eat.
The more I thought about what I heard the more I felt that this was a situation I couldn’t ignore. I couldn’t imagine the pain this woman felt and hope I never have to experience what she is going through. The following day we addressed the immediate situation by making sure there were adequate funds in the children’s lunch account, but felt more help maybe needed.
We reached out to the mother to let her know we wanted to help and asked if she would be willing to talk to us. She was very grateful for the offer, but replied “no, we are fine, but thank you”. Obviously things were not fine. I could hear in her voice that pride was standing in the way and she needed help, but was too embarrassed to admit it. I gave her my phone number and asked that she think about talking with us more and assured her our conversations were confidential.
The next day the mother called me to thank me for the money added to the children’s lunch account and for talking to her the day before. We talked for a few minutes and I asked her to tell me about her boys and herself. I learned that she recently transferred her boys from a failing public school to a Christian Private School so they could get a quality education in a safe and secure environment. At the beginning of 2020 she accepted a new job with better pay and benefits, but was laid off in March due to the pandemic. Complicating her situation more is that her husband left her a few years ago for another woman and he wasn’t paying the child support he was ordered to pay in the divorce papers. We talked for about an hour and she agreed to meet with me the following day to talk more. I wanted to see if I could get her to the right people to help with the child support and see what other immediate needs she may have.
It’s been a week now since I first talked with her and after many conversations I finally convinced her to swallow her pride and share with me her story and her needs to take care of her boys and herself. She has an appointment to meet with the Child Support Office this week, but it is going to take some time for that process. We have found her some help with food for the next week, but more financial help is needed. The most important thing to her is the children’s education and making sure they have what they need for school. I can understand why she doesn’t want to put the boys back in public school.
We are trying to help this family and believe this is an opportunity to make a huge difference in this family’s stability and the future of two young men. Despite our wish to help we have limited resources. Please pray for this family and if you are able to contribute a small amount together we can make a positive impact on this family. I admire her oldest son for making sure his younger brother got to eat lunch, but no child should have to miss a meal so another one can eat.
Organizer
Sue Johnson
Organizer
Crystal Springs, MS