Amy, a mother of two, was fleeing a domestic violence situation.”

Her husband threatened to take the children away because he said she was homeless and did not have any way to obtain food for the children. Amy was able to secure an apartment with assistance from a community housing program, but it used the last of her money.  Amy’s income from working full-time cleaning homes made her only eligible to receive $50.00 per month in Food Share.  While that did help, it was not enough to feed her family the entire month.  With additional food assistance from a Hunger Coalition partner food pantry, Amy was able to feed her children healthy foods while also providing a safe home.

Names have been changed to protect confidentiality.

John, Jane, and their three young children became homeless due to drug dependency and family issues.”

The family moved into an apartment that is part of a new housing pilot program where John and Jane received ongoing case management support. The goal of this program is to help families overcome barriers to being financially stable. With the help of their case manager, John obtained a permanent full-time job and Jane went back to school and is now employed full-time. They were able to move into their own apartment and buy a vehicle. They overcame their dependency on drugs, started paying off their debts, and are now looking forward to being able to spend more time together as a family.

*names have been changed to protect confidentiality

Although Tim and Abbie had planned to wait for a few years before starting their family, they were excited to learn that they were having a little boy.”

Tim and Abbie were barely making their way from paycheck to paycheck when their son Josh was born.  Learning that a quality child care program would cost them $1000 a month presented a huge problem. They couldn’t afford for one of them to stay home, and they couldn’t afford the cost of care. Every month they were falling further behind on their bills.

They felt that their options were limited and they didn’t know what to do.  Their day care provider suggested that they apply for a Good Start Grant, funded by United Way.  The goal of the program is to help low income families access quality child care by offering grants to subsidize the family’s payments. With the help of the Good Start grant, Tim and Abbie were able to keep Josh in a daycare that they trusted and that Josh loved.

*names changed for confidentiality

Sandy* lost her job and found herself struggling to keep food on the table.”

She didn’t qualify for unemployment benefits, so she had to make do with her savings. What little she had was enough to pay rent, but it didn’t leave any room for groceries. She called United Way’s 2-1-1 to find out where she could find help. The Information Specialist told Sandy about food pantries near her home. Sandy was embarrassed to go to the food pantries at first, but she received the help she needed. With their help, she was able to stretch her savings until she could get back on her feet.

*Name has been changed to protect confidentiality.