Mom turns to Goodfellows after layoff hurt her finances

Marysol, a single mother of three, was laid off from her job in July.

“It was a shock,” she said. “I worked there for seven years, and they began laying off people. Because I was making more money than newer hires, I was laid off. I cried.”

While job hunting, she fell behind on her bills — mortgage, electricity, credit cards and water.

Last month, her water was shut off.

She has since found work and is trying to catch up on her bills, but she can’t get the water turned back on because of a leak under her house.

She has been showering at her mother’s and brother’s houses, and using the bathroom at relatives’ homes or stores.

Yet she finds a reason to give thanks.

“Thank God I found a job,” she said.

For her children’s Chrismas, she turned to the Star-Telegram’s Goodfellow Fund. Two of her children are too old to receive the $50 J.C. Penney gift cards. But she did get a card for her 8-year-old son.

She is planning to buying him new shoes and warm clothes for the winter.

Interviews with applicants ended last week. Richard Greene, the program’s executive director, said about 18,000 gift cards have been given out.

But donations are still needed.

“The good news is the number of donations is up about 15 percent,” he said. “But the dollar amount is slightly down.”

The goal is to raise $850,000.

“I think we’ll be slightly under that,” he said. “But we still expect some donations from endowments, trust funds and corporations.”

Some donations come in January after the first of the fiscal year for some companies, he said.

The fund accepts donations year-round, but the primary promotional campaign lasts only through Christmas Day. For another week, the Star-Telegram will be asking its readers to contribute to the fund so children like Marysol’s can have a better Christmas.

“We have a commitment, and now we need help to pay the bill,” Greene said.

This story was originally published December 18, 2015 at 10:55 PM with the headline "Mom turns to Goodfellows after layoff hurt her finances."