There are a lot of mouths to feed in Melanie’s house, and not a lot of money to buy it.
She has three kids, ages 6, 9 and 11, along with her 27-year-old daughter, who also has three kids. Then there are the cats — 13 of them, although three of them, she notes quickly, are “not supposed to be here.”
“My kids get really attached to them. It costs money to keep them in food and litter, but I can’t put them out when it’s this cold,” she said.
Melanie, whose name has been changed to protect her identity and that of her family, has only been a single mom for six weeks. That’s when her husband of six years decided ” he didn’t want to be their daddy anymore” and left.
Disabled with severe arthritis, sciatica and scoliosis, Melanie does not work and is scheduled for surgery in January that will require three months of recuperation.
She tries to put food on the table and pay her bills on the $200 per month she gets from Welfare and by volunteering at a local food bank to supplement their diets.
One son has autism and her 11-year-old daughter “has nine different diagnoses. And we just got back from the doctor and lab because somehow my other one got mono.”
Getting to all these doctor appointments is pricey. Melanie does not have a car, so she has to take Ubers to the places she needs to go unless the nurse who helps her two days a week can drive them.
Melanie dreams of buying an inexpensive above-ground pool for next summer. “I like to swim and I like for them to know how to swim too. I tried to join the Y, but they wanted $505. My kids qualify for two free camps, but I can’t get them there every day without an Uber and we can’t afford that, so they mostly stay home,” she said.
“My kids don’t have what other kids have,” said Melanie adding that too often, even the things they do have go missing.
“Someone stole my son’s bike, cut up the seat, twisted the handlebars and slashed all the inner tubes. It was donated,” she said. “They stole my daughter’s bike too. The kids around here are ruthless,” Melanie said. “We have a trampoline because the doctor said it would help them to get exercise and tire them out so they’ll go to sleep, but the neighbor kids broke the pole and sliced the net.”
But without help, the pool may be out of reach. In fact, it’s not even clear whether Melanie and her family will have a Christmas tree to put their gifts under.
“I wanted a real tree, but my nurse said we can’t put it in her car. So I applied for an artificial tree through St. Agnes, but I’m on a waiting list,” she said. “It’s not the end of the world if we don’t get a tree so long as the kids get presents.”
And her kids will indeed get presents, thanks to Operation Holiday and donations from generous readers like you.
Through Operation Holiday, gift cards to area grocery stores are provided to each family for food, so that they can purchase the fixings for a holiday dinner as well as staples for the pantry. Weis Markets is a partner with Operation Holiday and has assisted with food purchases and gift cards.
Gift cards for every child in the program 16 years of age or younger are purchased through Boscov’s and distributed in partnership with the referring agencies so that families can purchase gifts of their choice.
Operation Holiday was started in 1991 at The Mercury in Pottstown to help families going through tough times provide something for their children during the holidays. The mission of the program is to make sure there is food on the table and gifts under the tree when Christmas morning comes.
Now in its 33rd year, the program has served thousands of families throughout Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties, expanding its reach in recent years to include communities served by Reading Eagle, The Times Herald, The Reporter, and Daily Local News.
More than $91,000 in donations last year provided food and gifts for 451 children and 199 families, plus cash donations to food pantries in Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties.
This year, Operation Holiday has partnered with 19 agencies in the tri-county area. Agencies have referred 165 families with 419 children for gifts and food.
There is no overhead with Operation Holiday and all funds stay local. Funds are collected and audited in a non-profit foundation account managed by staff of MediaNews Group who volunteer their time.
Operation Holiday does not accept families who have not been referred by an agency. Operation Holiday is funded solely by reader contributions. All contributions are tax-deductible.
HOW TO DONATE
Online donations are being accepted in a secure portal in partnership with TriCounty Community Network. Visit https://tcnetwork.org/ and click on the link for Operation Holiday.
Contributions can be mailed with checks payable to Operation Holiday to PO Box 1181, Pottstown PA 19464; The Reporter, 307 Derstine Ave., Lansdale PA 19446; or to Operation Holiday, 1440 Lacrosse Ave., Reading, PA 19607.
The names of all contributors are published in the participating newspapers as donations are received. Please note whether a contribution should be designated as anonymous or given in tribute or in memory of someone.
Source: Berkshire mont