 People often ask me, "What kind of people come to River City Community Services for help?" I know they aren't usually imagining people like Dawn. This attractive 40-year-old woman's hands literally trembled as she unfolded her daughters' birth certificates and shared her story. She explained that she was raising her daughters, ages 18 and 6, but her ex-husband had fallen into a drug habit and was no longer sending child support. Despite having a stable job as an administrative assistant, she was struggling to make ends meet. A few weeks later, she said, "I haven't come back because I don't feel comfortable accepting help. There are so many who are worse off." Then she was quiet for a moment and added, "But you never know. I've been able to get by this month by working 11 days in a row, taking overtime and cutting every expense that I could. I've had to get creative. But last month, that food helped me fill up my tank with gas and get to work."
Dawn's experience is more and more common. By many definitions, she'd be considered middle class, with a house, a car and one child in college. Her income allowed her to qualify for Healthy Families medical insurance for her daughter, but she'd have to lose her house and deplete her small college savings fund to qualify for other aid. So she's hanging on by her fingernails, trying not to lose her house and keep her family fed. She blames no one for her hard times, and is even apologetic about coming to River City Community Services.
"The night after I went to the food closet," she said, "my daughter was watching the news on TV and called me over to see a story about a woman who was middle class and whose husband had lost his job. Thank goodness that there are resources for people like her and me," she said. She said she had heard that a lot more people were coming to ask for food assistance, and hoped that by sharing her story, others might support the work of River City Community Services.
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Eileen Thomas