“You have cancer.”
“Your husband has been killed in a car accident.”
“I want a divorce.”
These and other sentences can turn a family’s fortunes upside-down. And they are often the prelude of neighbors seeking help from GraceWorks. It’s called situational poverty – when a family is unexpectedly thrust into financial difficulty through no action of their own.
It happened to Ellen. She and her husband agreed to assume custody of their special-needs granddaughter when their daughter had a drug addiction that she could not shake. Two years into the arrangement, Ellen’s husband Jack died suddenly.
Jack was the primary breadwinner but had not renewed his life insurance to provide more money for the granddaughter’s medical expenses. Ellen had left her job to care for the little girl. Without her husband’s income, Ellen was using up the family savings rapidly, and a friend suggested she try GraceWorks for help.
Ellen outlined her struggles with tears rolling down her face. Fortunately, her home was paid for, but she was behind in her utility bills, and the electricity was about to be disconnected. She was starting to struggle more with rising grocery costs.
GraceWorks was able to pay her electric bill through its Shelter program and provide her with a shopping cart full of food. Food carts are available monthly, and the savings would then be available for other expenses.
“I would like to thank you all so very much for your help on my electric bill, and all that food!,” she wrote in a thank-you note. “This was truly a blessing!!! I cannot express my gratitude enough. You have taken a big burden off me. May God bless you all !!!”