Mom's sickness, funeral drain finances
It's been a difficult time for this woman, the legal guardian of a little boy.
Her own mother, diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease and living in another state, began to fail a few months ago.
The woman had to take time off from her job and make the long journey to care for her mother, several times.
The last time she arrived back in North Idaho, she received a telephone call from the facility caring for her mother. The older woman's condition had suddenly worsened; she had stopped using her feeding tube.
"I got there in time for her to say goodbye and she loved me, and two minutes later she was gone," the mom said.
Paying for funeral expenses, on top of the travel expenses, have drained all of her financial resources.
"I have a 6-year-old boy I need to provide Christmas for and it is going to be very hard," she said.
With our readers' assistance, Press Christmas for All works to brighten the holidays for people like this - the jobless, homeless, those who are barely making ends meet, individuals with disabilities or illnesses. Many are alone this holiday season.
Each year, our generous readers' donations allow us to assist thousands of Kootenai County families in need. Each day until Christmas, we will share the stories of those whose holiday memories will be a little happier because of Press Christmas for All.
Donations are collected, then distributed in the form of gift cards to Kootenai County residents in need.
Press Christmas for All is a holiday charity now in its 27th year. It is managed as a nonprofit by The Hagadone Corp. Because it is run by volunteers from The Hagadone Corp. and their partners at Kootenai County Fire and Rescue, with assistance from North Idaho College employee volunteers, every penny raised is distributed in the form of gift cards from Shopko or Super 1 Foods, local retailers who also generously support the program. The cards can be used to buy food and gifts but not alcohol or tobacco products. All contributions are tax deductible.
To give, please send a check to:
Press Christmas for All 201 Second St. Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814
You can also call (208) 664-8176 weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. and donate by credit card.
Donations can be made securely online at www.christmasforallcda.com
Recent donors: Bill Tunison; Anonymous; Ed Adams & Deb Allred (In loving memory of Casey Adams); Paine Hamblen LLP; Marvin Taylor & Laura Donald (In loving memory of Mardell Taylor, wife, mother and grandmother); Paul A. & Mary Lou Wilson; Ronald & Paula Adams; Anonymous.
Record numbers apply
The need for help from Press Christmas for All is greater than ever this year.
By the Tuesday's 5 p.m. deadline, 3,380 applications were received from individuals and families facing a bleak Christmas Day. That's 10 percent more applications than we received in 2011.
Many of this year's applicants are families just beginning to put their lives back together after job layoffs, followed by evictions and foreclosures, led to long periods of unemployment and often homelessness. We've noticed an increase in elderly applicants who say they often can't afford food, let alone a holiday meal. They are often alone.
As always, the applicants are our neighbors, all residents of Kootenai County.
Notes from our donors
We hope our donation can put a smile on a child's face at Christmastime. Thank you for your great efforts to put lots of smiles on lots of faces.
- Norm and Linda Lewis