Jack and Megan have been married for 10 years and have three beautiful children, an 8 year-old, 6 year-old and a 1 year-old. They were making just enough money for their family to be comfortable. They didn’t have everything they wanted, but they had everything they needed. They had enough savings to pay a month’s worth of bills, but that was it.
Both Jack and Megan were working at a local restaurant when the COVID-19 Pandemic hit: the restaurant was shut down. The restaurant owners made the decision to close temporarily during the pandemic and not do takeout orders, meaning the entire staff was furloughed. Jack and Megan made the decision to apply for unemployment, but it was taking a long time for their paperwork to be processed. Even with unemployment benefits, they would not have the same level of income as they did while working.
Schools were closed, but education was expected to continue for their two older children – a first grader and a third grader. As a family, they made the decision that Jack would take on the primary role of helping the kids with school work, while Megan tried to pick up any type of work she could.
With all five family members home for longer periods of time, they saw an increase in their utility bills and the family was seeing a big increase in their food bills. As May approached, Megan and Jack were not sure how they were going to pay any of their bills: rent, utilities, and groceries. That’s when a neighbor told them about Dorcas Ministries.
Together, they went to the Dorcas website and filled out the online application for financial assistance. They then submitted all the other required documents before being contacted by a Case Manager.
The Case Manager talked them through the process and offered assistance to cover the full cost of rent and food from the Dorcas Food Pantry. Both Jack and Megan felt an immediate sense of relief during a time of such turmoil.
“God Bless Dorcas! Thank you for helping us during this time and for all you do for others in our situation!”
Sometimes a little assistance goes a long way in helping clients like Jack and Megan:
$75 keeps the water on
$250 helps cover a family’s electricity costs
$500 helps feed a family for a month
$1000 helps pay one month’s rent