Do they look like the mom toting a bunch of kids around the grocery store in worn out clothes? Is it the man that rides up and down the road to his job at McDonalds on his bike? Or could it be the family that you see everyday at school, scouts, etc?
Well guess what the answer is? All of the above! This isn't about judging, but about knowing that this could be your next store neighbor, your best friend or even you co-worker.
Why am I bringing this up you ask? Because I finally have decided to be brave enough and share my story. That's right, ME! And about the struggles my family had.
Not the greatest time of my life. Especially to feel like it was all I could do to keep my family fed. Money was pretty non existing in our house. But did anyone know? Nope! Not till last Christmas when someone who I now consider one of my best friends showed up a few days before Christmas with her mother and left a bag on the porch. In that bag was food, toys and a gift card. But back to us struggling. My kids ate two meals at school every day. I was lucky enough to have food for dinner or to have food to feed them all weekend. Why didn't I ask for help? Well one, I was too ashamed. After all, who wants to admit they need help? And when I finally did, our government failed us. We were denied an EBT card. Reason, to much income! How I don't know. It was now even harder for us to pay bills. Vehicles were reposed. The church even paid our electric bill so we could have heat during the winter.
After months of struggling things have finally changed. We've been going several months with bills paid ahead, a purchase of another vehicle and even more then enough food. Though you ask the kids we never have anything to eat! So my main point to this whole story-You never know someone else's situation. Its easy to put on a great facade, after all, I did it for several months! If you think there might be a problem, gently ask if you can do something to help. It can mean more then you would think.
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