Need some help keeping a smile on this face

Hello, my name is Andrew.

The little boy in the photo is my son James.

These are very hard times for people living in Canada, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way. I have had a respectable trades job for the past 20 years, up until the rising cost of living in Canada as well as a difficult divorce, which has put myself in an extremely dire situation and is now placing me on the brink of homelessness.

I'm barely staying above the water. Relying on payday loans to keep food on the table and provide my son with the most basic activities. My previous relationship ended poorly with my sons mother. Instead of working together, she decided to find a different suitor to make her own life easier while we were still married, as well as absorbing any child assistance the government has to provide. I tried discussing financials with her after seperation and how I needed help after all of her share of the bills fell on my lap, but it has fallen of deaf ears.

Now, with split custody, I have to bear witness to my son in tears every second week because he never wants to leave Dad. He goes to school under her care in ripped and undersized clothing, to which I now rely on donations and thrifting to compensate for with whatever money I can still spare. His teachers tell me the same thing, as he often spends seperation day in tears. So I take him to parks and splash pads, build snowmen with him in the winter and do whatever I still can, to keep his mind, physical activity and education in a progressive state. Keeping his mind off of the seperation situation however and how much pain it causes us every time we part is becoming difficult. I do not have the finances to bring the matter back to court. If I become homeless, I stand the risk of losing him entirely.

Any donations would be used to help keep a roof over our heads. Please find it in your heart to share this message with others, as I would really appreciate any sort of help to keep this little boy smiling.

God bless, and thank you for listening to my story.