During Christmas season, many people with the Christmas spirit like to pick a family from a giving tree or work with an organization or church to select a family to provide support for a few Christmas gifts and other items. These thoughtful gestures are always appreciated by these families that have little or nothing. For some, it gives them a Christmas they might not be able to afford on their own.

But have you ever wondered how a homeless family with children can even have a Christmas without a home?

Today, one out of four children and teens live in a household that is in poverty or very close to it. In fact, many of these families are well below the poverty level. It is estimated that close to 1,000 households in Fort Dodge are living at or below the poverty level and many are single parent families headed by the mother who is working in a low paying job with an annual income ranging from $12,000 to $24,000.

Trying to raise their families on poverty-level incomes is extremely difficult and stressful. These families often find themselves in a significant financial crisis in which they can’t pay all of their bills for rent, utilities, food, clothing, and transportation. Currently, due to inflation, many of these families are facing homelessness or living in an apartment without utilities such as heat, water and electricity.

United Way staff helps these families that are dealing with severe financial issues – putting them at real risk of becoming homeless or living in a home without heat or water. Here are some real examples of families United Way has and is helping by paying for motel stays while we assist them in finding affordable housing, or by providing assistance to keep the water or heat on in their homes:

llA mother with three children that is two weeks away from becoming homeless

llA high school student and her younger siblings became homeless because they had no father in their lives and the mother was institutionalized, leaving the children to fend for themselves

llA grandmother facing homelessness after her husband passed away and her single income could not pay her increased rent

llA frail elderly woman with terminal cancer is homeless and has no place to go. United Way paid for three nights in a local motel while helping this lady find housing.

llA single parent family with four children were living in their small rental house for more than two weeks when their water was shut off, making cooking, bathing, washing clothes or using the toilet impossible

llA single parent family loses everything they own in their apartment due to a fire, so they are immediately homeless and without clothing and other basic living items.

These are just a few examples of how United Way is helping desperate and impoverished families. There are so many more families that we have helped, and our assistance is not feasible without the charitable support we receive from kind-hearted citizens. The needs are high and the need for United Way financial support is great.

We hope during this Christmas season, many citizens will step up and help. A donation to United Way can truly make a real difference for so many in need of a helping hand.

Citizens interested in donating to United Way can do so by mailing a check payable to United Way of Greater Fort Dodge, 24 N. Ninth St., Suite B, Fort Dodge, IA 50501. You can also donate online at unitedwayfd.org. Every dollar donated here stays here in Fort Dodge to help youth, families and seniors in need.

Randy Kuhlman is the chief executive officer of the Fort Dodge Community Foundation and United Way.