Help families in need in Greenwich, Stamford, Darien

Every dollar donated goes directly to a resident. Last year, the Giving Fund raised a total of $97,128, which was all donated by readers. The newspapers offer the platform for telling the stories of residents, and Family Centers administers the funds.

“The Giving Fund is unique because it takes place during a season when the challenges our communities face can get obscured by the bright lights and holiday décor. The Giving Fund sets the tone to cultivate awareness of some of the challenges communities face and to cultivate ‘giving’ and caring outside of ourselves and immediate surroundings,” said Claudine Jean-Baptiste, a licensed clinical social worker and the Norwalk casework supervisor for Person to Person.

Donations to the Giving Fund can help residents who are facing large bills because of the rising cost of living.

“Oil/utilities are particularly high this year; families who have lost wages can use some of the funds to keep warm,” she said. “Families can pay for medical costs: special surgeries, medical supplies, prescription, transportation to medical appointments.”

Some families are now forced to move in with other relatives or take in others who are seeking refugee from other parts of the world, Jean-Baptiste said.

Others are “feeding more grandchildren and adult children who have lost wages or homes,” she said. “Families are spending more on transportation, utilities and groceries. They are sometimes witnessing the need and unable to provide support so they ask about resources for friends, family members and neighbors.” 

The mission of P2P is to provide individuals and families with assistance for basic needs to overcome daily challenges and access to resources to improve lives, according to Person to Person CEO Nancy Coughlin. 

“The Giving Fund gives us the opportunity to reach more people and to make a greater difference as it creates resources and opportunities to resolve basic needs related to shelter and food,” Jean-Baptiste said. 

“It is a program that we look forward to as an organization. The stories are real, true and the difference the funds make are as real and true,” she said. 

How to donate

To make a donation, visit https://givingfund.isecuresites.com/product/GIVING-FUND/General-Giving-Fund?ID=2865.

Each case in the Giving Fund includes an estimated dollar amount to help an individual or family tackle everyday challenges such as rent payments, child care costs and transportation during this holiday season.

The names in the stories have been changed to protect the person’s privacy. The Stamford Advocate, Greenwich Time and The Darien Times sponsor The Giving Fund in partnership with Family Centers and Person-to-Person.

Case 310: Andrew lives with his grandmother, mom, brother and multiple cousins in a home that should accommodate only four people. The family makes it work — but Andrew’s bed gave out, and he is sleeping in a sleeping bag on the floor. A gift of $500 to purchase a new bed would be a wonderful holiday gift for this family working to scrape by.

Case 311: Daniel has the all-too-typical history of a child escaping an abusive household. Moving to Stamford during middle school, he has been shuffled from home to home, depending on a series of relatives to care for him. Now a senior in high school, Daniel is preparing to soon live on his own. He has a job and is searching for rooms to share with a friend once he graduates. A $500 gift to help him start to save for his future housing costs would be lifesaving.

Case 312: Becky is the youngest of several children in her single parent household, which struggles with poverty as well as serious mental illness. Becky shares a bedroom with her sister, and it’s sparse, with hardly any furniture. Becky loves design and wants some colorful, inexpensive furniture to fill up the space — a chair, desk, chest of drawers. A gift of $300 would go a long way to helping her make her room feel like a home.

Case 313: Aniya’s parents were young teens when she was born. Aniya was forced to be the “adult” in the family, fending for herself, getting into college and working a full-time job for the past three years. She is living with her grandmother temporarily. Aniya will need to find other housing by the end of the year. A donation of $500 to help with a down-payment on an apartment would help this independent young woman.

Case 314: David’s mother succumbed to drug addiction, and he was removed from her care as a young boy and sent to live with his father. Now his grandmother is his primary support — and he loves her more than anyone in the world. She is elderly, though, and living on a fixed income. David works to support her, but a $500 gift to get them through the holidays would be enormously helpful.

Case 315: Jay is now a sophomore in college. He is the first in his family to attend and he is covering the costs by himself. Jay commutes an hour to college but on some days, he sleeps on the floor in a friend’s dorm room. On the days when he stays on campus, he has to rely on his friend’s generosity for meals. A check for $300 to supplement his food costs during the school year would be greatly appreciated.

Case 316: Karina moved with her family from Peru at the beginning of high school. Since then, she has learned English and become an honors student at school. She works, volunteers and plays soccer. She also helps her family with their bills because the money mom earns babysitting does not bring in enough. A gift of $300 would help offset some of the holiday expenses and put food on the table.

Case 317: Esther has lived in Stamford all her life — and moved at least nine times over the past 14 years. Her family scrapes by on her mother’s house-cleaning jobs and father’s landscaping work. Esther has to start a new school nearly every time the family moves. She is, at last, settling into the family’s latest home and is hoping that they can stay put for a while. A donation of $500 to pay the rent would make this family’s life much more stable, especially for the holiday season.

Case 318: This fall, Mikey took a leave of absence from college, where he had been given full tuition because of his financial standing, to deal with his emotional health. A life of scraping by, living in tight public housing, never having enough money to make ends meet — all of these factors have created a stressful atmosphere at home. Mikey is hoping to move into a room he could share with a college friend; he has a job and believes he can support himself once he saves up enough money. A gift of $800 to pay the rent in a shared apartment would enable Mikey to live independently and resume his education with a brighter future.

Case 319: Happy has always been an independent young woman, running her own business of making bracelets and earrings out of beads and modeling in New York City for up-and-coming photographers to get experience. Ever since she and her mother and disabled brother came to Stamford from Haiti, Happy has pitched in to help with child care, housekeeping, cooking and the bills. Her family has no extra money for this holiday season but Happy is determined to make it a wonderful Christmas for her little brother. A gift of $300 to make sure there is festive food in the home would make a world of difference.