Etta, United Way SparkPoint client
You don’t know me, but I know you. You helped feed my family. My two daughters and I each lost about 20 pounds, but we weren’t on a diet, we were going hungry. But thanks to people like you who have supported United Way, we were able to turn our lives around.
I’m a single mom, and last year, I was unemployed for nine months. We had only $30 a month for food. We lived on rice, beans, milk, bread and little else. More often than not, we went hungry. My kids’ education started sliding. My younger daughter started struggling with her grades and getting into fights at school, and my older daughter was so stressed out that she didn’t graduate high school.
I felt desperate. Then a friend recommended United Way’s SparkPoint, where struggling families like mine can get back on our feet. I got help applying for food stamps and utilities assistance. More importantly, I got set up with a job coach who helped me revamp my resume and refocus my job search.
Almost instantaneously I started getting job calls. I was so shocked – in seven days, I had four interviews. I was hot that week! I got a job – and then another to help me catch up on my bills. My girls and I are no longer hungry. We are gaining weight. And my daughters have been able to focus on school rather than their hunger. Today, my younger girl is not fighting at school anymore, and she’s getting good progress reports. And I’m so proud that my older daughter just got her high school diploma!
I feel so much relief that I can provide for my daughters now and be what a mom should be so that they can go on and be who they are. United Way’s programs not only helped me, they helped me to help myself. I am so grateful.
