who will I be supporting?
You would be supporting the parent who has paid their bills and maybe needs a little something to help them get through the rest of the month. The parent who needs an extra 15-20 dollars for their children's lunch or the extra 40 dollars to pay for their child's asthma meds. You would be helping the parent who needs help purchasing school supplies and paying school fees. Your support will help put a few packs of meat and produce in the refrigerators of these single parent households. Your contributions would help us to give these parents hope.
Your ongoing contributions will be used to support SFU's efforts in helping single parents when they are faced with challenges related to providing for their children. you would be helping a specific group of parents which whom we refer to as "The Forgotten Population." These parents do not qualify for assistance such as food assistance, child care assistance, utility assistance and certain housing programs. They earn incomes that are slightly above the poverty guidelines which result in denials for assistance programs. The truth is, they too need help sometimes!
Some of the parents that you would support may receive a limited amount of assistance and have a higher copay or out of pocket expense.
From time to time, this group of people are faced with issues such as higher utility bills because they don't qualify for low income programs, monthly food shortages, childcare expenses, school fees and lunches. Additionally, they are bombarded with co-pays for healthcare and medications and medical bills because their jobs do not cover all medical expenses.
These parents also struggle with mental/emotional issues such as lack of self-worth, depression, low self esteem, feelings and thoughts of failure, guilt and shame.
Their children suffer as well. Research has shown that if a child does not attend an early childhood education program of some sort, they are typically academically delayed and could be mentally challenged. If a child is not getting proper nutrition daily, this can lead to vitamin deficiencies, poor brain development, growth issues and much more.
A lot of these parents simply can't afford to send their children to daycare.
These single parents are not always able to provide a nutritional meal everyday.