I come from a big family. Well, a large immediate family. I have four sisters, and loved every moment of growing up in a house full of girls. I had the cool mom on the block, and a dad who worked hard and long as a stone mason every day to take care of our family.
Being in the freelance industry is hard, and construction work didn’t always pay out on time. And there were a few years when I was young that my parents struggled, especially during the winter when work was slower for my dad.
There were days when I would come home from school, and the power would be off. My mom would make it fun with flashlights and candles, lighting the wood burning stove to heat our house, and never once making us aware of the reason why.
One year when things were particularly hard, my family were on the receiving end of one of the most thoughtful gifts we could have been given as a family of seven.
A full Thanksgiving meal anonymously given to my family.
At the time, I had no idea the stress that the holidays were putting on my parents, and didn’t really grasp the magnitude of relief they must have felt knowing they didn’t need to figure out a way to make that one giant feast possible for us. That one meal was usually more than our family would spend on groceries in two weeks.
As years went on, the tables turned and our family was the one in a position to start lifting a weight off others during the holidays. That didn’t mean they were even well off every season, but they had just enough extra cash to pay it forward.
I have the best memories of going to the grocery store with my mom and sisters to shop for turkeys, potatoes, stuffing and pies. That were never going to sit on our table.
Eventually, my mom started getting her friends involved, and not only were we able to help one family, but multiple families in need. She found them through church, school and word of mouth, and one by one, I know she made a huge difference to so many people throughout the years.
My parents were the best example of hard work and generosity. And I truly wouldn’t be the person I am today without their guidance and transparency throughout my childhood.
Last year was the first year my husband and I were in a position to give back on a larger scale, and bringing you along for the ride made it that much more special. This year, we are saved up a bit more to be able to give back. And you guys have made it possible to do this in such a big way!
My goal was to make 50 families’ have their Thanksgiving dinner covered, but you guys blew me out of the water and have been able to raise enough to give these families both Thanksgiving and Christmas covered. So so special and I couldn’t be more proud.
I wanted to take a moment to share a few of the family stories that were sent in from you. These families are truly loved and have been blessed to have someone think of them this holiday season to nominate for a little family blessing.
All of the names have been changed for privacy reasons and I have left out stories of foster children, domestic abuse/violence, and other sensitive stories.
I would like to nominate my friend Rachel and her family. Rachel and her husband Joe have four biological children, and as their youngest was in his junior year of high school and preparing to “launch,” Rachel and her husband stepped up and took in her cousin’s two children, then aged 8 and 10. These kiddos had experienced unimaginable trauma as the children of alcoholics. Their father died when they were very young, and their mother experienced relapse after relapse, which left the kids in unstable, dangerous and traumatic situations over and over again. Rachel and Joe had been a part of the kids’ lives for a long time, but it came to the point where child protective services knew they could no longer be in their mother’s custody. So it was either entering the foster system with strangers, or Karen and Warren would take them in permanently. That’s exactly what they did, and they have spent the ensuing couple of years desperately trying to protect these kids and give them the love and support they so desperately need and deserve. They have had to spend thousands of dollars they do not have to hire an attorney to help them keep custody, they have taken the kids to countless doctors and therapists to address their psychological, educational and medical needs, all while enrolling them in swimming lessons and signing them up for soccer to help them make friends and feel like “normal” kids.
In the midst of all of this, Joe — as an independent contractor doing PR work — has lost 90% of his income in the last two years. When covid hit Minnesota and the state shut down, Rachel lost her job as a catering coordinator at our local grocery store. They offered her a position in the call-center, which she gratefully accepted and spent 40 hours per week dealing with angry customers. That department was just downsized, and now the grocery store has offered her a position as a personal shopper, which again, she accepted with gratitude. With this relatively low-paying job, Rachel is essentially the sole provider for a family of 8 (her cousin’s two kids, two kids still in college, and two others with mental health challenges struggling to find work that pays them enough to support themselves).
I work at a university in —- and one of my students, named Amira, is 20 years old and taking care of her younger sister (18) and older sister (22). Amira‘s mother currently lives in Egypt and she is working on helping her mom move to the US which has unfortunately been a very difficult journey with no good news in site.
Amira, and her sisters, had lived with their dad until one day this past year, he told them they had to move out, he gave them no financial assistance, and just left them on their own. He hasn’t talked to them since.
Amira works two jobs on campus and her older sister works as well, but between their employment, they barely make enough to pay their bills. We’re a state that is far behind on minimum wage ($7.25/hour). You would never know Amira is struggling – she always has a smile on her face, goes out of her way to help others and make them feel better, and in one of her roles as a peer mentor, she helps new to college students get adjusted to college life. Thankfully, our state has a program that has allowed Amira to continue her education with almost no tuition on her part, but she is very prideful and doesn’t ask for help even though she does need it.
Amira is Muslim and has faced a great deal of racism (which breaks my heart) to the point she stopped wearing her hijab as she thought her life would be easier without it, even though she is proud of her identity. The way she has continued to show resiliency through all that life has thrown at her is inspiring. Having a little extra help during the holidays will be a large help to her as she won’t be able to work for a month and a half while classes are not in session starting in the middle of December to the beginning of February. Her sister works in the food industry which could shift at any moment due to COVID and I don’t know how they would be able to bounce back from that.
Shelly and I met in a Facebook mom group about 5 years ago. Shelly and I quickly connected because I was going through a deep depression, and Shelly reached out to me with some kind words (and continued to check in with me!)
Shelly is known in the group for her giving spirit and is always the first one to check in with moms, make jewelry for a fundraiser for someone in a tough spot, bring groceries to someone in need, or offer some kind of virtual support. There have been countless times that Shelly has helped me and other moms in our community.
For most of her adult life, Shelly struggled with alcohol, landing herself in jail multiple times. Once she went through rehab, she met a guy (her son’s father) who didn’t treat her very well. Shelly was finally able to leave him just over 2 years ago and live on her own – just her and her 5-year-old son. About a year ago, Shelly met an awesome guy, Dave and they recently moved in together! Dave is the sweetest guy, and such a great “bonus Dad” to Gabe – they have bonded so much and it makes all of us in the mom group really happy for Shelly and Dave!!
On October 19th, Shelly posted in the group that her dad died. He was Shelly‘s rock. Always there for her, no matter what. He supported her in every way possible through all of her ups and downs and really shaped Shelly into the amazing woman, mom, and friend that we all love.
Shelly is a rock in our mom group, and we are all grieving with her during this time. She has been through hell and back, and this time she is the most broken we have seen. This gift card would be a small token of our appreciation for all the love and light she has given us.
I would like to nominate my sister, Ashley. She is a single mom and recently lost her job. Ashley has always struggled to make ends meet but this year has been the worst yet. $150 would not only allow my sister to provide a Thanksgiving meal for herself and my nephew but it would also make Christmas possible for my 5-year-old nephew, Alex.
Penny is a domestic violence survivor. She was married to her abuser for sixteen years and was able to leave with all four of their kiddos. She spent time in a homeless shelter, lived in a community for abused women for a year or so until she could afford to move into her own place. She has been out of her abusive marriage for five years now and is striving!
But, it is hard being a single mom with little support. Holidays are so, so hard for her.
My sister, Tammy, is a survivor of domestic violence. She has been divorced from her abuser for six years. When she moved back home, she lived with my parents for five years as she got intensive therapy for herself while also advocating for my nephew who is autistic and was only 18 months old when she left.
Now, she has her own place, a full-time job at the school district as a paraprofessional, and started taking college classes to finish her bachelor’s in special education. I am incredibly proud of her. I love her endlessly and seeing her suffer was unbearable. Seeing her fight to heal has been more amazing than I can convey.
I would like to sponsor my mother, she had been a hair stylist for over 20 years and the pandemic has definitely taken it’s toll!! Living in NYC is already such an immense expense. My dad was deemed an essential worker and worked through the entire pandemic even though they are both high risk which is beyond anxiety inducing, but we are all doing the best we can. There isn’t a day that goes by that my mom isn’t thankful for the opportunity to just be in good health and for us to all be together. I know everyone says this but she is the best mom!
I’m writing to you to nominate my sister to receive a thanksgiving dinner. She is a single mother of two teenage boys. Both of her children’s fathers are drug addicts and in jail, so she has no help but manages to give them the best life she can. She has dealt with loss after loss in her family but is still such a light in everyone’s life. She would literally never ask anyone for help. Maggie is such a proud woman! Recently her son’s two best friends came to live with them because their mother was also taken to jail due to drug issues. They had no one else. Maggie took them in without a thought and hasn’t legally adopted them yet, so has no help for them either. I know she would be forever grateful to receive such a blessing this year.
I’d like to submit my good friends Jane and Michael. They have struggled with fertility for years. They did 2 or 3 rounds of IVF before they finally conceived a baby girl that is due right before Thanksgiving this year! Michael just graduated PA school and got a new job as a physicians assistant but a couple of months ago he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma so right after spending all of their savings on their last round of IVF and their move across the country for his new job, he now cannot work because he is undergoing aggressive chemotherapy and other treatments.
I hope you know that you you can make a difference in other people’s lives by doing something small and simple. It doesn’t have to be a large, grand gesture. A simple message, a kind word can brighten someone’s day.
Thank you for making this years giving so amazing. I can’t believe how generous and kind you all are!
Have a wonderful season! Happy Giving. <3
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