Who We Help

Sue never thought she would find herself divorced and struggling to survive. Add to that two  teenagers who were also finding it difficult to cope with this new life, and Sue found herself in constant battles with her kids. That’s when she reached out to us for help. Sue was able to scrape together the funds to get her and her kids to counseling, but she knew they needed more. So, we offered to pay for a parenting course for her, so she could gain the skills she needed to be a better mom.

Homeless just a few years ago, Erin had worked hard at her job as a waitress to save enough money to  rent an apartment. Then she began saving for a car and had about $2500.00 saved (plus enough for the transfer and insurance) when we heard about her. A local pastor had seen her walking home from work late one night and offered her a ride. After hearing her story, he found a good working car for her but the cost was about $2,000 more than she had. 41 Days stepped up and paid the difference. She now has safe and reliable transportation to and from work, no matter what hour she gets out.

Kristie had a decent job driving a school bus. But that meant that she was working when her daughter got out of school in the afternoon. She was able to find afterschool care and could handle the monthly payments but was finding it difficult to scrape together the deposit she needed to enroll her daughter. 41 Days handled that fee, and now her daughter is safely at a program until Kristie gets off work each evening.

Rob was our first recipient. He was awaiting a kidney transplant and while in the hospital the friend who had offered to take care of his cat locked the pet alone in his bedroom for hours each day. Confused, scared and lonely, the cat began spraying throughout the room and destroyed the furniture. Upon returning home, Rob had no clean place to sleep. That's when he called us. While Rob had some friends come in to clean the room, 41 Days helped get rid of the old furniture and purchased a new bed, mattress, and dresser for him. Rob continues to recuperate in a safe and clean bedroom..  

Shelly is a single mother of 3. When her youngest child was hospitalized, Shelly was forced to take 2 weeks off of work. This left her with no pay for several weeks, which of course put her behind in her rent. Taking on extra hours once she was back to work, Shelly tried paying back the missed rent a little every month. Unfortunately, the late fees and penalty charges ate the extra she was paying, making it impossible to ever get caught up. Fearing another emergency would send them over a financial cliff, 41 Days agreed to pay the $700 she owed in back rent, getting this small family back on their feet.

 

Edna had a kitchen fire and with no insurance to pay for repairs, she asked us for some help. Unable to pay for building repairs, we did however, pay an electrician to come repair the damaged wires so she could at least get back into her home while everything else was fixed slowly.

 

When Kari got the call that her grown son was in the alone and in the ICU across the country battling an aggressive form of cancer, she didn’t know how she was going to get there. She had the money for a hotel and rental car, but not the plane tickets to get her there and back. 41 Days purchased her a round trip ticket so she could be with her son during his illness.

Chris has always been in his daughter’s life.They spent weekends and holidays together since his divorce, and often planned special outings. But when his 10 year old’s mother passed away a few months ago, Chris was suddenly thrust into the role of fulltime parent. His hourly wage job was nice enough to give him some time off to deal with the immediate needs of his daughter, but that of course meant he did not get paid. Then the bills started adding up. It didn’t take long for Chris to get behind. Next, his car broke down and he used what was left of his savings to fix it. With winter coming and bills piling up, Chris worried that he wouldn’t have the funds available to fill his oil tank for the winter. He just asked for a little help – maybe the minimum amount needed for fuel delivery. We went a step further and filled his tank – ensuring that he and his daughter would be warm this winter. Life continues to throw Chris curve balls, but with a helping hand from our donors, he is now able to relax a bit while he works on getting his daughter settled in her new (warm) permanent home.

 

These are just a handful of the people we have been able to help in the last 18 months. In addition, we have helped to keep several families from being evicted; have paid heating bills for two couples; purchased Christmas gifts for several widows who would have otherwise never received a gift and spent the holiday alone; coordinated personal financial counseling for several clients with a financial coach who volunteers their time, and more.

 

Many of us are just one accident, illness, or emergency away from needing help. Thanks to our donors, 41 Days can step in when needed and help ease the burden of those who might otherwise fall through the cracks.