Rebuilding Our Life During COVID-19
Some of you know our situation, and many don’t...
August 2018
Andy was offered a job to work for a synagogue in his home town. It was his dream job and we were so excited to move to NJ to be with family and his long time friends. We had a 3 month old baby and had to leave our beautiful home, our friends, my job and our community in Baltimore for this job. It seemed like a small price to pay to be close to his family and friends. We moved on a budget (because kids are expensive as hell) and lived in a small apartment for almost a year before moving into our house. We had Darryn in school at the synagogue preschool and all seemed right in the world for us.
December 2019
Flash forward to December 2019. I was working as an independent marketing and design consultant and my biggest client, which also happened to be the same employer as Andy, notified me they were cutting my contract in half as of January 1st. I was unprepared and unable to sustain. I submitted a reduced contract with reduced duties, and waited for it to be signed.
February 2020
Andy and I took a preplanned vacation at the end of January to Los Angeles so Darryn could finally meet her family. A week after we returned from vacation my contract was terminated and I was left jobless. The next evening Andy was laid off. Now we were both without income. He was given only a few weeks severance and two months insurance and that was that. He can’t collect unemployment because synagogues are exempt. We have both spent the entire month of February looking for jobs daily. We have applied to over 100 positions each, with little success. I had a few freelance clients for minimal work, enough to pay a bill or buy diapers and food, but not enough to pay the bills. We have watched our savings dwindle to absolutely nothing with bills and childcare and depression and anxiety have set in.
March 2020
COVID-19 became a real threat and business stopped hiring. The job search has come to a standstill. On top of it, my biological grandfather was in and out of the hospital for cancer and infections and I had to make an emergency trip to Los Angeles to see him. I returned home and all of my small clients have put our work on hold indefinitely due to the virus and having to shut their doors. We are now sheltered in place, with no income and are out of options. I was offered a job in Los Angeles, but we don’t have enough money to move our stuff and ship our cars. We would be able to move with your help.
At the end of next month we will run out of money completely. The last thing I want to do is have to start a fundraiser for help during these hard times, but we really need it. We have gone to JCFS and all they can offer are gift cards for groceries. We have reached out to various funding sources with no success. We are at the point where we don’t know what to do and are asking for help from those who love and care for us. We are forever grateful for any help you can offer us during this time. 
