Help Family w/Unexpected Expenses

One week ago, I posted the following on my facebook page. It's not the whole story, but it explains a lot. In addition to the things in the post, today I got a call from the city where the house that's mentioned is. A water main has broken going into the house and it is up to the homeowner (me) to have it fixed. So, while the original post will give a lot of the background information about our financial situation, I am trying to raise money to fix the water main. If there is money left over, it will go towards the other expenses mentioned. A little extra information about my family: I am a single mother of three. I work and go to school full time, trying to eventually make a better life for all of us. I drive 500 miles almost every weekend to take the kids to see their dad (he drives that far, too...he lives 250 miles away). That's a lot of gas money! Also, in addition to the situation below, we hit a deer a couple months ago and had to have the car fixed. Since the original post was made, the school program came through with presents for the kids and there has been a great outpouring of community love and support and I am so beyond thankful. Because of that, we are able to make the rent and mortgage payments this month and maybe pay a couple bills, but now this huge new expense is looming. It would mean so much, even if you are unable to contribute (which I completely understand), if you could even just share this. Here is the original post:

I'm one of those "welfare" moms. My family has medicaid so we can get healthcare. We don't get cash assistance, but we do get food stamps. I'm grateful for these things. I couldn't feed my family if we didn't have them. But you know what you can't buy with food stamps? You can't buy toilet paper. Or toothpaste, or soap or shampoo or conditioner. You can't buy paper towels or cleaning products or garbage bags. You can't buy femine hygiene products. Food stamps can't buy the ice pick and salt you need to clear your sidewalks because the city has given you a citation for not making your pathway full sidewalk width, and they're going to charge you $100 if you don't. But it doesn't matter because you're already going to be $100 short on rent this month because you were a victim of unfair housing practices and had to choose between renting a house that was $450 more a month than you'd planned or having your children be homeless when school started. And that's on top of being unable to pay for your heat or light bills until your student loans come through next semester. It can't pay for the internet you need in order to access your coursework while you're getting your degree. It can't explain to your Autistic daughter why it hurts your feelings when she refuses to eat the food you made for dinner because she "doesn't like it", but the only thing you really know you can give her is food and now you failed at that. It can't explain to one son why he can't play soccer or the other why he can't have piano lessons because, between work and school, your schedule doesn't allow you to get them there. Food stamps can't pay the mortgage for the house that you own, that's four hours away and had good renters that moved out suddenly, so now you have to make the $850 a month payment, on top of that extra rent you weren't expecting, for a total of $1300 a month, and so you've maxed out your student loans for the year and are still coming up short. It won't pay for Christmas presents for your kids, when the school offered you a program to help, and so you didn't sign up for the Salvation Army, but now the school program hasn't called and you have no idea what's going on and neither does the school secretary. And food stamps won't buy the kleenex to wipe away the tears that you cry every single night because the stress is just too much and there is absolutely nobody living near you to lean on and so you are just completely alone.