The Official Modest Needs Blog

Application of the Day: Need Car Repairs to Care for Others

Today's Applicant of the Day explains her Modest Need better than I ever could:

I am the single parent of an adopted child with special needs (autism and reactive attachment disorder). I am also a licensed social worker who supports families who have children with disabilities. I volunteer in my community when I can. I am also the caregiver to a parent with dementia.

I am able to work part time due to my son's and father's needs. Currently, I am able to manage my regular finances but do not have any funds available for car repairs. My car is essential to providing for my son's needs and necessary to continue working and supporting others.

My car is old but dependable. I just spent hundreds of dollars, only 2 months ago, to repair the rear suspension. My car needs a new clutch, tires and an O2 sensor to pass Massachusetts State mandated vehicle inspection.

I spend a lot of time giving back to others through my work and daily living, however, this time I need help and hope that I am a worthwhile investment to the generous donors of this organization.

If you'd like to make an investment in the life of this woman who means so much to others, then please consider making a contribution to Modest Needs and using your points to vote that we fund this application. It's quick and simple and you can do that right here.

How You Can Step In and Prevent Possible Heat Stroke

There is a heat wave gripping much of the country. Of course, if you are in its path, you are already well aware. Temperatures are hovering around 100 or higher and humidity is so thick you can barely see through it.

Multiple deaths have already occured as a result of this massive occurance of oppressive heat, and with temps continuing to rise, sadly, there may very well be more.

Officials are urging people to stay hydrated, avoid alcohol and caffeine and to stay indoors.

But what if you don't have air conditioning inside?

That is the plight for at least three Modest Needs applicants. Through no fault of their own, these individuals in North Carolina, Arizona and Virginia have found themselves without power due to financial emergency, which means no electricity for cooling.

No one should be punished by heat stroke--or worse--simply because they found themselves in an unexpected bind. It's dangerous for these families to be living in these conditions, and fans only work so well in the kind of weather the country is experiencing.

If you find yourself watching the news about this terrible heat wave, perhaps in front of the cool blast of your A/C, and want to lend a hand to those without proper cooling, Modest Needs is one place you can easily do that. Your generosity could, in this case, quite literally be a life saver.

[Photo by Tim Samoff]

Application of the Day: Help Grieving Mom Keep Family in Hot Water and Food

In addition to dealing with the grief of losing her mother, this Jacksonville, Florida woman finds herself in a financial bind after using the last of her savings to pay for her mother's funeral expenses. When an unusually high gas bill arrived, she turned to Modest Needs for help.

The gas heats this family's water, stove and other essentials. Without it, this mom will be unable to make a proper meal for her children or take a hot bath.

She tells Modest Needs, 'Assistance with this bill will let us focus and breathe and continue to work so we can continue to pay all of the responsibilities we normally take care of. When you go from being the helper to needing help, it's hard, not because you are humbled, but because you as a person who works every day and is responsible just gets stuck because of events that truly are out of your control.'

This grieving individual has nowhere else to turn. But with your help she can continue to process her loss, get her budget back in check and continue a life of self-sufficiency and independence. In fact, this applicant has new work, and is applying under our New Employment Grant, which means that with a one-time hand up, she will be back on her feet in no time.

Please consider making a contribution to Modest Needs and using your points to vote that we fund this application. When this applicant gets 100% of the points she needs, we'll immediately send payment for her gas bill, which will ensure this family eats and bathes and lives in dignity.

Set to Expire: 15 Ways Your "Small Change" Can Mean Huge Help

You're thinking of investing in the life of someone through Modest Needs, but are overwhelmed by the variety of requests to choose from. Well, if you want your generosity to make a difference *right now*, this is the place to start.

Below is a list of applications set to expire in the next week. Some are very close to having all the points they need, some have a little farther to go. Browse this list, find a cause that speaks to you and have your "small change" make a huge difference in the life of someone today.

1. Single Mom - Help With Auto Payment
2. Older Lady: Help Avoid Foreclosure
3. Many Medical Expenses: Utility Bill
4. Single Mom Needs Car Payment
5. New Job: Rent Help For Single Mom
6. Single Mom Needs Car To Go To Work
7. Car Repairs For Family Of 8
8. ALS Patient: Car Repair 4 Dr Visits
9. Badly Needed Dental Work
10. Mortgage Help - Storm Damage
11. Disabled Vet Needs Mortgage Help!
12. Single Mom/Disabled Kid: Van Repair
13. Single Mom of 4: Electric Shut Off
14. Help With Cancer Treatment Med Bill
15. Transmission For Family Of Four

[Photo by allie pasquier]

Application of the Day: Single Dad Who Rescued His Son Needs Help

He is a single father of a 9-month-old "beautiful baby boy" who recently obtained full custody of his son due to a drug addiction issue with his mother. The mother of his child left his son in the care of strangers, who thankfully took him to local authorities. In his efforts to get his son back from state custody, this diligent dad lost his job.

He has since obtained new employment and child care for the baby boy. Unfortunately, the saving of his son put him behind on rent, and the new paycheck won't arrive in time to prevent eviction.

So, this heroic single father is asking for one-time help getting caught up on rent, so that he can move forward with his new job and give his young son the very best care he possibly can.

This application is 48% of the way to fully funded. Together, we can set this dad's mind at ease by the end of the day.

[Photo by Giles Cook]

Being Poor is So Much More

What is being poor? It's all this and more:

Being poor is coming back to the car with your children in the back seat, clutching that box of Raisin Bran you just bought and trying to think of a way to make the kids understand that the box has to last.

Being poor is wondering if your well-off sibling is lying when he says he doesn’t mind when you ask for help.

Being poor is off-brand toys.

Being poor is a heater in only one room of the house.

Being poor is knowing you can’t leave $5 on the coffee table when your friends are around.

Being poor is hoping your kids don’t have a growth spurt.

Being poor is stealing meat from the store, frying it up before your mom gets home and then telling her she doesn’t have make dinner tonight because you’re not hungry anyway.

Being poor is Goodwill underwear.

Being poor is not enough space for everyone who lives with you.

Being poor is feeling the glued soles tear off your supermarket shoes when you run around the playground.

Being poor is your kid’s school being the one with the 15-year-old textbooks and no air conditioning.

Being poor is thinking $8 an hour is a really good deal.

Being poor is relying on people who don’t give a damn about you.

Being poor is an overnight shift under florescent lights.

Being poor is finding the letter your mom wrote to your dad, begging him for the child support.

Being poor is a bathtub you have to empty into the toilet.

Read the rest of the list.

If you'd like, add your own. You can do so in the comments below.

[Photo by Jason Tester]

Application of the Day: Severely Injured Solider and Mom Needs Hand Up

She is a disabled veteran and a mother who was injured in the line of duty while serving her country overseas in 2005. She has been fighting the government for her traumatic life insurance money since that time and is still fighting to get it.

She's had a broken back, a heart attack and a brain injury. Recently, she had to have surgery on her thyroid and parathyroid as the VA thinks she was exposed to radiation while overseas. Her health is declining and her husband is taking care of her and their children.

Her husband lost his job in 2008, which has made things all the more difficult. They are trying desperately to save their house, as the VA is making it accessible for her physical challenges.

She is just asking for a little help. A one-time hand up. A respite from the constant struggles. She has an unusually high gas bill that is preventing them from staying afloat, and if it isn't paid, they could go without energy in their home. Or worse, they could lose it altogether.

If you'd like to assist this disabled veteran and mom get back on her feet, please consider a contribution to Modest Needs and use your points to vote we fund this request. It's already 75% of the way there. Let's repay this selfless soldier in a way that will change her life for the better.

"Down but Not Out" Blog a Heartbreaking Look at Unemployment

We see and hear the numbers every day. 10%. 14.1 million. 2 years. But when it comes to the tragedy of unemployment in the U.S., nothing has more impact than stories straight from the mouths of those suffering.

Yahoo! News has a blog on its site called The Lookout. The author sent out a call to people who have been unemployed for more than two years, and the response was overwhelming and devestating. The stories are gut-wrenching:

I feel like a failure to my kids, and I hate not being able to provide for them, or give them the things that “normal” kids have. We wait for everything, including clothes and sometimes food. I feel like a personal failure and a failure as a mom. And the only thing that changed was my marital status.

I had a strong resume before kids, and I really thought finishing my degree in marketing would give me the boost I needed, but I couldn’t even get to the interview to sell myself.

Unfortunately, I didn’t qualify for benefits and have been in survival mode since my divorce in 2008.  It’s hard to be poor for a short term, but long term, it is heartbreaking.

And there were 5,000 more responses just like this one.

The Lookout created a Tumblr blog to give some of these stories a home. If you want to know the true heartbreak of the unemployment epidemic, look no further.

Application of the Day: Help Diabetic Get Life-Saving Insulin

She is a single woman living in Belleville, Missouri who was recently diagnosed with diabetes and placed on insulin that costs hundreds of dollars a month. Like so many Americans, this has no medical insurance to cover this very expensive prescription. Sadly, since her diagnosis, she has been forced to choose between rent and medicine.

Right now her insulin sits at the pharmacy waiting for her to pick it up. Without the funds, she can't. She is working hard to obtain insurance or other means to pay for the new prescription, but in the meantime she is going without life saving medicine. Under our Independent Living Grant, this individual is asking for one-time assistance with the cost of her insulin so that she can stay alive.

What better investment in a life is there than that? Please consider making a contribution to Modest Needs and using your points to vote that we fund this application. We'll immediately send a check to the pharmacy for her insulin once this request has 100% of the points needed. Afterward, no matter the size of your gift, you'll receive a note written in her own words thanking you for the enormous impact you made on her life.

[Photo by Jill Brown]

When Myths Harm: What Culture of Poverty?

Myths are fascinating things. They materialize, proliferate and hang around for a long, long time. Some myths are harmless, others perpetuate horrible stereotypes that keep good people down.

Take for instance the myth of a "culture of poverty," which is taken to task in this article called "The Myth of the Culture of Poverty" by Paul Gorski. Here's just part of it:

There is no such thing as a culture of poverty. Differences in values and behaviors among poor people are just as great as those between poor and wealthy people.

In actuality, the culture of poverty concept is constructed from a collection of smaller stereotypes which, however false, seem to have crept into mainstream thinking as unquestioned fact. Let's look at some examples.

MYTH: Poor people are unmotivated and have weak work ethics.

The Reality: Poor people do not have weaker work ethics or lower levels of motivation than wealthier people (Iversen & Farber, 1996; Wilson, 1997). Although poor people are often stereotyped as lazy, 83 percent of children from low-income families have at least one employed parent; close to 60 percent have at least one parent who works full-time and year-round (National Center for Children in Poverty, 2004). In fact, the severe shortage of living-wage jobs means that many poor adults must work two, three, or four jobs. According to the Economic Policy Institute (2002), poor working adults spend more hours working each week than their wealthier counterparts.

MYTH: Poor parents are uninvolved in their children's learning, largely because they do not value education.

The Reality: Low-income parents hold the same attitudes about education that wealthy parents do (Compton-Lilly, 2003; Lareau & Horvat, 1999; Leichter, 1978). Low-income parents are less likely to attend school functions or volunteer in their children's classrooms (National Center for Education Statistics, 2005)—not because they care less about education, but because they have less access to school involvement than their wealthier peers. They are more likely to work multiple jobs, to work evenings, to have jobs without paid leave, and to be unable to afford child care and public transportation. It might be said more accurately that schools that fail to take these considerations into account do not value the involvement of poor families as much as they value the involvement of other families.

Take some time and read the rest. See if you agree. If so, perhaps you can speak up the next time you hear some of these stereotypes used to keep others down.

[Photo by Jeffrey Smith]