Tom and I met a new mother 15 months ago through my volunteering at a shelter. She was in a difficult situation with many unknowns. She had daily worries about where she was going to sleep, personal safety, and her next meal. All at the same time, she had just become a new mother for the first time. She lacked the family support that can be easily taken for granted.

In the last 15 months, she has learned a lot and accomplished many things. First, she has a wonderful, happy, healthy boy. She has an apartment, a car, and has started a new job that has a future.

There are many first-time bills that come up when you make all of these changes. Also, simple bills such as quarterly trash bills can cause financial stress. At the same time, the daily stress and costs of raising a toddler can be overwhelming.

I have never posted anything like this before, but there are a lot of financial and emotional needs for a new mom. Babysitting, furniture moving, and car maintenance are other needs that are difficult without local family assistance.

It is the time of giving, and the cost of a lunch at a restaurant means a lot to someone that is saving for gas money. All support will be used by the mom to help her and her toddler to achieve self-sufficiency.

Thanks for reading the start of this journey. If you can, thanks for joining us in helping the two of them. With the right support, they will be successful.