CraigL

I do what I can to help a few families out with groceries from time to time in my community.  It is unbelievable how much the cost of living has been going up lately.

Bravo!  Your kindness makes a world of difference.  Hopefully your posting and actions will move more people to reach out to others.

Sincerely,

Elaine

I haven't been on this site for a few months.  I tried to log in a few times while the site was being upgraded, but it wasn't ready yet.  I've been very busy the last few months, but am back now and looking forward to exploring the upgraded site.  I hope everyone has a pleasant holiday season.

This is Melanie (aka iamworkingpoor) did you get my reply to my location? I live in Northfield.

Hey...thanks for the advice. I have tmj and it is very much causing me to grind which is making every problem about ten times worse...but right now I cant afford to buy a gaurd for that let alone get to the dentist about this cavity. In the meantime Ive been reading Job...haha. It seemed fitting. But I just wanted to thank you for the time and I would def appreciate your prayers!

Hi CraigL You are the type of person that many are looking for when they come to Aidpage. I just want to say thank you for showing that there are people who come here who care about others. You are a breath of fresh air ! God Bless you for your kindness ! Holly

Thank you for your comments. I never send cash either. Some of these pages may be scams, but I'd like to believe that most of them are real sincere people. I have sent items in the mail before to needy families listed on another similar site, and found some of the items appearing on Ebay. For this reason, I tend to focus on on families within 60 miles of my home town where I can verify the need. I have made some friends this way and stay in contact with 4 of the families I have helped. Some of them are in need of additional food and household supplies almost every month. I find that things tend to get worse for these families when school is out for summer vacation. The school lunch program is shut down for 3 months, and that puts a further strain on their food budget. I have also focused on trying to help some of these families become self sufficient. I've showed them how to save money on their grocery bills, changed all their light bulbs to compact fluorescent to reduce electric bills, and other improvements. This has made a little difference in all cases, but some of these families may never be completely self sufficient. In most cases I've observed, the biological father is absent and does not pay child support at all, or at least not on a regular basis. It is really hard on these families when they are expecting a certain amount of income, and it doesn't come. Also items that are minor to me, like a car part needing replacement, are a major hardship on these families. They have absolutely no savings, and anything that goes wrong outside of their normal month to month bills rapidly becomes an emergency. Craig

My family (4 daughters ages 10, 8, 5, and 1) also have helped numerous families out during the holidays...I enjoy buying and sending the care packages, especially when the familess who receive them email me to let me know how everyone enjoyed their gifts...we have also sent packages with necessities such as diapers, soap, towels, sheets, toothbrushes, food, deodorant, etc) We live in a very small community and there are no local organizations so I find most of the people I help onine and I have established several close relationships with these families, they even emailed me pictures of their kids opening their presents on Christmas morning...I just wanted to let you know that I think it is awesome that you are helping others out too, I look around on aidpage and see so many people who are in such need that it seems overwhelming...but if a few more people woud give, there wouldnt be such a need...I never send money because I think that leaves the door wide open to be scammed, I have found that people who are truly in need do not ask for cash but rather necessities for their families...anyway, keep up the good work, Jennifer