Much of my work is community based to build strong families and strong communities. This work can be so heartbreaking at times but oh so rewarding.

Inflation has hit us all hard. Wages have increased some. Rent, utilities, food - have all doubled in cost. Wages have not. So many more people are struggling to feed their families and keep a roof over their heads. 

I saw a woman who had her electric service terminated while she was sleeping. She has an electric bed and needed to raise it for her to be able to get out of it. I also saw someone who was stranded upstairs because their stairlift didn't work without electricity. We were able to work with each of them over the phone to help get their electric service restored. 

Our Hazelwood food pantry serves an average of 125 families monthly. That translates into about 400 individuals each month, most of whom are children and seniors. Some, particularly seniors, will feed their pets before themselves so we added a pet food pantry to our distribution. 

We assist households in applying for utility assistance such as dollar energy, liheap and crisis so they do not lose service, particularly, their heat in the winter months and water. 

We have a free tax preparation program. People are not paying high preparation costs to fee based companies or missing credits and deductions if they do it themselves.

These are just a few of the community programs and services we provide to help support individuals and families during these trying times. It takes a lot to operate them. Volunteers, supplies, equipment (tables to computers and everything in between), rent, etc.

Your donation directly contributes to these critical needs, strengthening our community. Your impact matters. Please consider making a difference today.