Goodfellow Fund helps grandmother struggling to raise kids after mom died in car wreck

A grandmother who took over raising three kids when their mother died in an automobile work needs help keeping one of the children warm.

Twin 15-year-old boys and a 12-year-old girl aren’t easy to provide for under good conditions. Margie, being on the threshold of 60 and enduring arthritis in both knees, along with other medical issues, finds it very challenging.

“It’s hard with three grandkids that are up in age,” she said. “Their sizes get expensive.”

So one of the Goodfellow Fund’s $50 J.C. Penney gift cards designated to be used for clothes and shoes is going to help. At 15, the boys aged out of the program, but the granddaughter qualified.

“I am disabled and live on fixed income,” Margie said. “But I help with my grandkids and care for them. I need help for them for Christmas — with shoes and coats and socks and underwear.”

She hasn’t figured out how to get the jeans and coats her grandsons need. But faith has carried Margie for the last few years under these trying circumstances, and she doesn’t resent the twist life threw her.

“I’m so thankful for my grandkids and that I’m able to be here for them,” she said. “It hurts every day of me losing my daughter. But I pray, and God has got me through it all and has blessed them to endure. I will forever be grateful for the help.”

Be a jolly Goodfellow

Since 1912, the Star-Telegram’s Goodfellow Fund has provided practical gifts for schoolchildren. Join this tradition by visiting goodfellowfundfw.com to make a secure credit card donation.

This story was originally published November 27, 2019 at 6:00 AM.