Donna’s story
Donna was very depressed when we first met her. As a single, pregnant mother with three children she said she had no idea what to do. She had recently lost her job caring for an older person who passed away. She was out of work, behind in her rent payments and had no support. She and her own mother barely spoke. She thought abortion may be the answer.
The father of her oldest son lives in Florida and only comes to New Jersey occasionally to visit his parents and his son. He provides no financial assistance to his child. The boy has emotional and behavior problems. He would assault his mother, threaten to kill the baby she was carrying and often run away from home.
The father of her daughter was helpful, but he died unexpectedly at the age of 34. His parents are not interested in helping with their grandchild.
Donna’s 5 year old son receives neither money nor time from his father.
The father of the baby she was carrying stalks and frightens her. He has other girlfriends and would be of no help.
Thankfully she reached out to us for assistance and met with Mary Anne who laid out some practical steps for her. She agreed to apply for Unemployment Insurance, apply for the Anchor Rental Assistance rebate, and apply to Social Security for her daughter to receive a death benefit on behalf of her father. That was the day Donna made the decision to give birth to her baby because she felt supported.
Helpers NJ paid rent, paid for gasoline and gave her gift cards for food and clothing. We also provided her children with gifts at Christmas and at Easter.
Her way forward was still difficult. She had an offer to work at Cooper, but they kept moving the start date back, so she ended up taking a job in a group home. She explored the idea of adoption, but after a few counseling sessions with the adoption agency, she decided to raise her child. She knew we would help her with baby items.
A beautiful baby girl was born on July 5 th . She weighed 7lb. 3 oz. When she was born, Donna texted Mary Anne: “Thank you. I feel a lot better now. I’m so happy.”
Her mother has allowed Donna to move in with the children. Perhaps the actions she took to improve her life have influenced her mother to support her as well.
