After a series of setbacks, on May 25 of this yearMichelle Green found herself homeless and without resources. At 57 years old, she had nothing but a rolling cart filled with her few possessions. She was (and still is) living in a city park.

Everything fell apart after her mom died last September. For six years Michelle had taken care of her as the sole caregiver with her mom's social security as their only income.

Before that, Michelle had worked at the Marshall's department store in Winston-Salem for 12 years. She was a conscientious employee who had advanced to a managerial position. But her mom was in poor health and needed her -- there were no other family members willing or able to help. Michelle tried unsuccessfully to find a job after her mom's death, but she knew nothing about the resources available to her and had no one to turn to for help.

When her little bit of money ran out in May, she was evicted from their apartment.

Then a few weeks ago we noticed her on several occasionswalking in our neighborhood. She seemed bewildered and dejected to we tracked her down, huddled in a public bathroom. She told us her situation -- no money, no phone, no car, no friends or family to help her.

In a word, desperate.

Since then, we've given her a hand -- helped her get her phone back in service, connected her with the city's homeless outreach organization and more, including collecting donations from our friends and family for her ongoing needs.

Right now Michelle is looking for a job -- step 1 out of homelessness. She's updated her resume and spends time every day looking at online employment listings and applying for whatever might fit her skills. She's willing to do whatever it takes.

One problem with the job search is that she doesn't look good on paper -- her age and spotty job history likely trigger automatic rejections online. But (AND THIS IS IMPORTANT) we have gotten to know Michelle over these days and weeks of helping her. She is smart and a hard worker with keen attention to detail. She takes the initiative when she seems something that needs to be done. She could be a supervisor's dream employee.

In the meantime, she's willing to take on essentially odd jobs -- need some weeds pulled in your garden, some indoor or outdoor cleaning, a dog walked, a car washed. Michelle can probably do it for an hourly rate unless it's too distant (transportation being another issue for her).

Otherwise, please donate -- anything will help with her ongoing expenses as well as saving toward future needs like monthly rent when she's able to find housing.

Please give her a hand through a donation, a job, a room of her own. We are grateful for whatever you can contribute.