LIMA — When Mary (not her real name) and her significant other parted ways a few years ago all she was left with were two little boys, a handful of bills to pay and her Christian faith.
A serious blood infection last year caused her to put on a significant amount of weight, which made it virtually impossible for Mary to work. She went from having little to having next to nothing.
The blood infection has been corrected, but the financial strain it caused still remains. The Indiana native is currently living with her sons in the basement of a friend’s home. The boys are in school here, and loving it, and Mary has been approved for the next available unit at a local government subsidized housing unit.
She is also waiting for approval of her Social Security disability claim and will undergo weight loss surgery in the near future. Throughout all her setbacks, Mary is grateful for those who have lent a helping hand during her time of need.
“I’m a very, very Christian woman. I read the scriptures all the time and I know God has my family in his hands,” Mary said. “God does so much for us, with my friends who are helping me right now to the apartment coming available for me to this (Adopt-A-Stocking) program … God did all that. It’s been so much more than I could have ever imagined. It’s just amazing.”
Thanks to the generosity of the community, that sense of amazement will hopefully be felt by many families this year. As of Monday, the Salvation Army’s stocking fund had reached a total of $9,978.63. While that amount will be a great help to many families, the unfortunate reality is that the need in the area is still great, so donations will still be appreciated.
Mary said her 11-year-old is into the online game Fortnite he plays on his PS4 gaming system. He wears size 34 waist pants, medium shirts and men’s size 10 shoes.
The 9-year-old also enjoys playing Fortnite on his Nintendo Switch device and “also loves pandas, animals and learning kits,” his mom said. He wears size 14-16 (youth large) pants and shirts and size 8 shoes.
Mary is a size 5x … for now … but mainly could use furniture for her apartment along with pots and pans, beds and almost any type of household appliance. She said storage is not a problem until her new home becomes available.
The Adopt a Stocking Fund benefits families during the holiday season. Monetary donations can be given online at give.salvationarmy.org/stocking or via Adopt A Stocking; c/o The Salvation Army; P.O. Box 234, Lima, OH 45801. All material donations for a specific family should be dropped off at the Salvation Army, 614 E. Market St., Lima, and should include a copy of the article or the date the story appeared in The Lima News. See past stories at LimaOhio.com/tag/stocking.
