Charity begins at home.

 Just a catch up (all my posts right now are catch ups) on what is going on with my charity work. 

The woman I mentioned who has been in this country for over 15 years and has an abusive husband is still waiting on paperwork for her expired green card. He had let her card expire as she did not have funds to renew it.  He is starting to get mildly physical as well as verbally abusive but she is refusing to leave as she cannot take the children with her. She cannot go to law enforcement or the courts because she does not have a valid green card and would be taken into custody.  

She has a volunteer lawyer who has given her a burn phone so she can contact her once a day. Another church who does online banking (we don't) has paid the fees to renew her green card and the fine for missing the deadline, so now it is a waiting game for six to eighteen months. Because that is how long it takes to renew a green card.  A private individual has stepped up to cover the costs of citizenship (which she would qualify for at this time if her green card is renewed). I can't remember costs anymore, but one of these steps will cost $1500.  The country she left in 2005 is at war. She has nothing to be returned to.  

We are waiting to see what happens. We can assist her with moving into her own housing, etc when and if the situation will get that far. She is constantly on my mind. 

We have a few situations with older women - 65 plus. At the most, they received social security of around $1200 a month and live in apartments. And apartments in my area start at $1000 a month.  There are senior apartments available with huge waiting lists which would have reduced rent and there are metro approved apartments where the government would cover $500 or all the rent depending on income. These women are always running behind on bills and a rent reduction would change their lives.  They are all on the metro waiting list which is approximately 12-15 months long.  We spoke to the metro people yesterday and for the first time in the history of their office, they received zero funding this quarter.  So everyone stays on the list for 4 more months but they don't know if they will even get funding after that.  This is not making America great. 

Our garden keeps over producing things like egg plants and green peppers.  I have been begging friends, family and neighbors to take some produce off our hands. When he brought in a giant box he picked last Monday evening - I remembered our local food pantry is open on Tuesdays.  I had him drive me over with the box. 

As I was walking in, an elderly lady (older than me, so at least late 70's-early 80's) got out of her car. She had her hair fixed and was dressed in an Alfred Dunner style pants outfit. She was gaga about the green peppers. When I went in the door where a friend was manning the desk, the line for check in and shopping was about 5 people long. And every person was an elderly woman.  I think maybe we just get up earlier? Anyway, they were so excited about the green peppers and eggplant and couldn't wait to grab some once they got their baskets. 

When I got back to the car my husband asked about the woman I walked in with since he didn't think she was up to filling shelves or lifting. I said no, she is a client. He was gobsmacked. I told him (I say this alot) You really don't listen to anything I talk about, do you? Most of these women recieve maybe $23 in SNAP benefits a month. They need free groceries at the food pantry in order to eat. A green pepper, a single green pepper is $1-$2 dollars at grocery stores and farm markets in my area. If you have $23 dollars for the month to spend on groceries, you are not buying a green pepper. 

He was so angry. He was defending these women who worked hard their whole lives, raised families, held jobs - they contributed to society and now society was not stepping up for them.  I said, well, yeah. You really don't listen to anything I say do you?  

Now in his defense, I did shame him into purchasing a new computer for the charity office a few weeks ago so he is contributing. And we also have a monthly donation to my charity which is all spend locally for housing and utilities for the needy.  

Anyway.  I am working my second day this week in the office.  

Here are recent cases:

Man and DIL - she just got out of jail, son stole rent money

79 yr old woman short on rent (she is on metro list)

Couple 30's -3 children. He has long covid and can only work part-time, her job just lost a big contract and her hours were cut to 18-20 a week. By the way, long covid is not considered a disability by the government. 

Man with mental health issues is short on utility bills, social working assisting him. 

Woman 30's short on rent due to car repairs

Mentally ill chronically homeless man in his 40's (which shows how long I have done this, I remember him in his 20's) was looking for assistance with no plan.  

Woman with five children, husband left, water leak left her with huge bills

Couple 20's with chronic evictions have another eviction

Couple 30's, 3 kids, electric shut off

Single mom 40's, 4 kids natural gas shut off

Woman 50's, short on rent (she barely makes it on salary)

Woman 50's, lets family move in and out and supports them, rent

Woman late teens, electric

Couple 50's behind on water and electric

Single mom with teenager, car repairs needs rent, electric, gas

Couple 40's late again on water and electric

Woman moving to area with disabled child needs security deposit

Single mom with 3 kids moving to metro apartment, needs security 

Young woman left relationship looking for security and 1st month rent

Mom who is a nurse has 2 teen boys and pregnant daughter and boyfriend just moved in and her hours were cut

Couple with 5 kids, car totaled so both taking taxi to work - rent

Single mom, 3 kids, husband just left with all bills owing

Man with mental disabilities couldn't leave house to fill out application, social worker helping, lent money to people to get them to like him, short on bills.  

Of course donations are down this time of year, but we did get a check from a trust and also a substantial donation from a retired business owner.  The phrase "God Provides" has been working out whether you believe in God or not.  

And, no, we do not help everyone. We interview and use what I used to say to my eighth grade confirmation class "right judgement". We need to be prudent with what people give to us. And we cannot help with the whole amount needed 99% of the time. We work with federal, state and local agencies, we work with other service organizations, non-profits and churches.  We help put a plan together and it is up to the client to follow through. Often we pledge if you can get the rest and if we call you in a week and you have not visited anyone else on the list, we keep you on file. . . 

So. Hopefully a slow day. 

*Update.  It was not a slow day.  I had a steady stream of clients from 10am-1:30 pm.   If we could help with all requests it would require over $5000.  While waiting on some bequests, we don't have close to that much in the checkbook.  

Clients included another family affected by the company that lost the big contract and cut hours, single mothers using rent money for car repairs, a family who had relatives placed with them through child services, the husband with diabetes who had toes removed and no sick pay, . . . I can't remember the rest.