LIMA — With only one source of income, Jessica and her husband have been struggling for a year to make ends meet as they raise their four children and grandchildren. This holiday season they hope to receive some extra assistance to help pull them through this troublesome time.
A year ago their financial situation was not as bad as it is now. Jessica had a steady job, but when her children began to struggle and her older daughter was in need of a baby sitter, she decided that the best decision would be to quit her job and stay home.
“They needed somebody home and not be in day care,” she said. ” I sacrificed my life for my kids and grandkids.”
She and her husband made sure to budget to prevent themselves from struggling financially, but that plan wasn’t successful. Her husband’s employer began to cut his hours so sometimes there was not enough money for them to pay all the bills. Because they cannot always pay the bills, they have received electricity shutoffs and shutoff notices and have struggled to pay the rent.
Aside from bills, it has been a challenge for them to come up with the money they need to put gas in her car to drive her children to and from school as well as medical appointments. The family also struggles with buying groceries.
“We just kind of fell in this pit and it’s just hard at this time,” she said. “There are valleys and hills and we are in the valley and eventually we will climb up that hill, but when?”
Although her family has been through a lot this year, she is grateful to be able to spend more time with her family. She is happy that her children are close and don’t even realize their relation to one another.
“They act like they don’t see each other even if its only been one day,” she said. “They enjoy playing together because they have the same interest.”
Since home-schooling her 4-year-old son and her 3-year-old granddaughter they have both made significant improvements from where they were a year ago. Her son now knows how to identify colors, shapes, and knows how to spell his name. Her granddaughter now knows how to count to 1o and colors well in the lines.
This holiday season the family is in need of a new stove, gas cards, grocery gift cards and money for utility bills. The children want puzzles, Minion-themed toys, Pokemon toys, a Lightning McQueen toy, Hello Kitty toys and a Ride-on-Robot for Christmas. Jessica believes that God will help pull her family through this hard time.
“I believe that he has a better plan for me and sometimes you just need to be still and wait for his answers instead of jumping around,” she said. “If you just wait for an answer and keep praying something better will come along.”
.neFileBlock {
margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
padding-bottom: 5px;
padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
font-size: 85%;
}
