The Official Modest Needs Blog

Autism Can Mean Financial Struggle for Families

Chances are you know someone with, or who is a parent to or sibling of, someone with autism. We know more about this condition now than ever before, and as a result, are better able to diagnose those with autism. As a result, more people than ever are classified as "autistic."

Unfortunately, along with the many other hurdles involved, autism can mean a financial struggle for those affected:

"It turns out, autism is also associated with a large reduction of family income -- a 27% reduction in family income," Mandell says. That translates to earnings of $17,640 less than families with children without autism, according to his study.

[...]

The needs of children with autism, because the characteristics and severity of symptoms can vary, are not as clear-cut.

The families raising children with autism, Mandell says, ''are cobbling together services, fighting with health insurance."

The efforts may require so much time that someone's job has to give. "I think what is happening is the mother drops out of the labor market to be the case manager for the child," Mandell says.

And while there are more resources than ever before for those living with autism, there are also more people than ever before fighting the financial battle than can come with it.

Modest Needs helps families affected by autism on a regular basis. There are always requests on the site for financial assistance from parents of those with autism, including five right now:

Single Mom Needs Bed

Cochlear Implant: Need Rent Help

Family With Sick Child - Car Help

Handicap Safety Fence

Autistic/Epileptic Son: Light Bill

If you want to make a direct difference in the lives of those struggling with autism, you can search our qualified applicants with the search term "autism," and provide real relief for families with really serious hurdles.

[Photo by Arturo de Albornoz]

Exciting? Exciting! Big Changes on the Way

Modest Needs has some big changes on the horizon, and we are super excited to give you a sneak peek! It's a change that has been a long time coming for this foundation, one that is going to mean more lives changed, directly, every single day.

Wanna see the big surprise on the horizon? Check out our newsletter for a look. You'll like what you see.

Look Ma, We're On TV!

Radio? Magazines? Newspapers? TV?

Yeah: We've done that.

Check out our archived media page to take a look back at video and print stories about what we do here at Modest Needs every day.

The Today Show, CNN, Fox News, O Magazine--they are all there. Take a quick look at how far we've come.

Easily Refer Someone to Modest Needs

Is there someone you know--a neighbor, an acquaintance or a friend of a friend--who could really use one-time assistance with an unexpected financial emergency? Someone who could benefit from Modest Needs?

Telling someone in need about an organization like Modest Needs can be tricky. There is, sadly, a lot of secrecy and shame surrounding financial hardships, and no one wants to unnecessarily embarrass.

This is why Modest Needs has a "Refer a Friend" page on the website that does all the suggesting for you. You enter the person's name and email, and they get a message that reads thusly:

I'm writing to tell you about an organization that may be of interest to you during your time of need. The organization called - Modest Needs - is an online charity that offers small grants to individuals and families struggling to remain self-sufficient. I'm proud to be a registered member of the Modest Needs community, and though Modest Needs can't help everyone who asks, I've seen the good this organization has been able to do for others. I think they might be able to help you as well.

If you're still having a difficult time, please visit Modest Needs at http://www.modestneeds.org/ so that you can learn about Modest Needs. Their services are completely free of charge, and if you end up posting a request for help, I know they'll do the best they can to find a way to help you make ends meet.

Simple as that.

If you know someone who could use a hand to prevent sliding down a slippery slope, just use our Refer a Friend feature.

[Photo by Ripton Scott]

See Five Families Whose Lives You Changed Through Modest Needs

When applicants become funded through Modest Needs, their final step before the check goes out is to write a brief testimonial about the process; something thanking the donors. These funded applicants have the option of including a photo with their testimonial, and about 50% of them do. Below I've highlighted five Thank You Notes. And with them I have added the photos that these families shared so that you can get a visual impression of the people you've helped to avoid poverty. Because a picture is worth a thousand words.

Here are five families you've helped this year so far. Their smiles say so much:

"Thank you thank you thank you all for coming through and funding my families request for help. We have been going through a rough time and this will help us with closing that part of our lives. May God Bless each and every one of you that have choosen to help my family and all the other families who are in need. This website and the people who fund it are awesome and you all will never know the lives you all have touched and what it means to those families. Thanks again for taking the time to read and fund our wish. With Love the Raines Family!" (original request):

"I really appreciate your help from the bottom of my heart this really means a lot to me right now. This came just in time for me and my need with electricity help for my kids and I. I am very appreciative of your help it's nice to know there is someone out there like you that are willing to help another in need and I know we all have some need in our lives and still consider helping others in need. Thank you and god bless you from the bottom of my heart." (original request):

"I have just found out that you have helped to fulfill our grant request, and words cannot express how grateful and humbled I am. As I mentioned in my request, my husband lost his job due to the economy after an 18 year career. We have never been in the position where we couldn't pay our bills, and have never before needed assistance. I work at an elementary school, and we now manage check to check. The job market is dismal, and I turned to Modest Needs when our financial situation started to affect our children. The unexpected medical bill was hovering over us, and I applied for the grant not expecting anything, but hoping it would work out. To my surprise and relief, there are people like you willing to help. Thank you so much- your generosity means more to us than you know. I look forward to being a Modest Needs donor once we are able to do so." (original request):

"Words can not explain how truely greatful I am for all of the giving people that helped to fund my application. At a time when things were getting so hard I didn't know what to do. I was at a point where things were getting to a point where everything was about to be taken right when I start to pull myself back together. Thanks to all of your gracious kindness I am able to get back on track. Thank you thank you thank you and thank you again. I truely appreciate everything. Now I can help others how you have all helped me." (original request):

"I just want to truly say thank you from the bottom of my heart. As the parent of an Autistic child everything is an uphill battle, especially since autism is not a covered for treatment under health insurance. Your generosity will help change not only my son's life but the life of our family for years to come." (original request):

One Thank You Out of Thousands

When someone who applies for help through Modest Needs has an application funded fully, he or she writes a "thank you note," a testimonial upon completion. And those thank yous are always moving, but this one stuck out to me as a shining example of how lives are changed when you donate to Modest Needs.

Here is one testimonial in its entirety:

I don't know how to even begin this testimonial of my gratitude and heart felt thanks for your willingness to help me in my time of need. I had to compose myself before I could write this because I broke down in tears of joy. I'm just so overwhelmed! Times are rough and I know that each and every one of you had to sacrifice something to help me, it's so incredible! It has inspired me to donate to someone in need too.It may not be much to start,but it will come from the heart and every little bit helps. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our own situation that we forget there are others out there who are worse off than we are. But God has a way of opening our eyes and you all are a God send. God bless each and every one of you for your generous donations and for really caring about those in need,your all so wonderful. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. With heart felt appreciation, Janet M.

And there are many, many more like it.

It's important to be reminded of how much good you do when you give.

[Photo by Lindsay]

Lots of People Want to Say Thank You

When we here at Modest Needs come to work each day, we start the coffee, turn on the computers and open our email. And each morning we open our mail to see testimonials from those people whose applications were funded while we were away. The month of December has been especially rewarding and touching for those of us in the Modest Needs office, because donors have been overwhelmingly generous during this holiday season. Applications are being funded within just days or hours, and the joy expressed by those who saw their requests granted in their time of need is enough to bring a few tears to our eyes.

Today I want to share with you some highlights of these December testimonials that were made possible by people like you who gave whatever they could to those less fortunate. Seeing just how far your dollars go in changing the lives of strangers is one of the highlights of our day, and so I share their words with you, too.

• "I know it may not be much to a billionaire or mean much to people who have it, but God sees the little things that is done. God is so good for me to be let into all of your hearts. This is the best christmas I have ever had that complete strangers have helped me. It gives me a different outlook on many things and I thank you also for the lesson I have learned today.

• "I opened my email this morning praying, and when I saw my prayers had been answered, my heart filled and so did my eyes; I am crying, but they are tears of deepest gratitude and relief. It is a terrible thing to be so afraid, to be so consumed with intense worry that we'll run out of heating oil. There is so little left in the tank, I go down there and check it several times a day, always anxious to  see how much the gauge has dropped more; we've been wearing layers of sweaters to try and keep the thermostat around 55, too scared to turn it up more than that. I just called my oil company with pride, to say the bill would be paid and schedule a delivery for tomorrow. This means we can stay warm, my daughter will be warm, my pipes won't freeze and burst, our home will be safe from harm from freezing temperatures here. You have participated in giving the most precious of gifts: caring for another, and my life,  my daughter's life, are profoundly affected by your contribution for us. I wish you great peace and love for Christmas..."

• "Thank everyone who helped my family. This is a real holiday miracle! We just talked too the landlord and they told us they would have to file eviction Monday the 20th if we didnt have an answer. But we held to faith and hope and you all have been the angels that we were waiting on. I completed my training and Im able to maintain the household once again. I am so moved by the love that this shows my family about the real people in the world and what God wants us to believe of our fellow man. We want to thank you all again from the bottom of our hearts because this is the best Christmas present that my family could ever receive. Me and my wife are in tears because the relief that we feel right now. We planned on honoring your generosity by helping others in need. Thank you all again from the depth of our hearts."

• "Thanks to the generosity of contributors and administrators of the Modest Needs Foundation, I am able to continue providing home care for my 93-year-old mother.  I am her only child, so the challenge of caring for her is mine alone. We avail ourselves of hospice care, the expense of which is covered by Medicare. However, I must pay for the skilled in-home care of a Certified Nurse Assistant, who cares for my mother at night so that I can get enough rest to care for her during the day.  This added expense adds a financial burden that I will not long be able to afford. We come from a long Italian tradition of caring for our family members in the home, and were it not for added help from the Modest Needs Foundation, I cannot see how I would be able to continue to provide for my mother in a way that she deserves and desires. Thank you so much for making this possible for us."

• "To all of the Modest Needs Donors, I want to say THANK YOU so very much for the sacrifices you all had to make to ensure that my family would not be evicted from our home. This has restored my faith I had for human kindness."

And this is just a small samping of testimonials received today. The good you are doing with your donations is evident each day in our inboxes. You can read new incoming thank yous on our site to see exactly how much your gifts to Modest Needs empowers those who are desperate.

Thank you thank you for making our jobs at Modest Needs most rewarding. And, most importantly, thank you for making a difference in the lives of those who really, really need it--and for saving them from a life of poverty.

[Photo by Iain Farrell]

Set to Expire: 20 Ways To Help Someone Today

It is unfortunate that we at Modest Needs can't allow unfunded applications for assistance to remain active until every one is funded. We just don't have--at least, not yet--enough donations to exceed the number of requests that come in to the site.

Each application is active for two months before it expires. Some applications are funded in just one day, some in a week, and for others it takes much longer.

Below is a list of requests for help to Modest Needs that are set to expire in just five days. Some are close the having enough points, some have none. Can any of these requests for help from people who are struggling financially become fully funded before the time is up? That power belongs to you.

Need Electricity Help from Stone Mountain, Georgia (expires 11/8)

Need Help with Car Note from Sandy Springs, Georgia (expires 11/9)

Disabled - Need Utility Help from Chatsworth, Georgia (expires 11/10)

Cancer Patient - Treatment Payment from Austin, Texas (expires 11/10)

Our Gas Has Been Shut Off from Bristow, Oklahoma (expires 11/10)

Need Rent Help from Chula Vista, California (expires today)

Recent Layoff - Rent Help from Seattle, Washington (expires 11/10)

Laid Off of Work, I Need Rent Help from Anaheim, California (expires 11/9)

Car Repairs for Unemployed Mom from Oakland, California (expires 11/7)

Laid Off, Sick Child: Need Rent from Westminster, California (expires 11/9)

Mortgage Help, Laid Off but Trying from Nashville, Tennessee (expires 11/10)

Unemployment Benefits Ended: Rent from Durham, North Carolina (expires 11/10)

Work Slow: Water Disconnected from Atlanta, Georgia (expires 11/7)

Single Dad Needs To Escape MOLD! from Fort Meyers, Florida (expires 11/9)

Single Mom Short on Rent from Coon Rapids, Michigan (expires 11/8)

Epilepsy - Need Electric Bill Help from Lithonia, Georgia (expires 11/9)

Recently Unemployed - Mortgage Help from Brighton, Mississippi (expires 11/8)

Please Help Stop Eviction from Lithonia, Georgia (expires 11/9)

Could lose home due to HOA fees from San Francisco, California (expires 11/9)

Dental Pain in the Mouth & Wallet from Castro Valley, California (expires 11/10)

[Photo by andrew and hobbes]

Set to Expire: 24 Ways You Can Help Today

The following is a list of Modest Needs applications that are set to expire in just five days. Once a week or so, I like to highlight those applications that have just a few more days to become fully funded. Here are 24 of those requests:

Help Me Avoid Power Disconnection

New Job: Need Rent Help

Car Repairs

Need Rent Help

Help with Rent

Disabled, Domestic Violence: House

Unplanned Hysterectomy: Need Rent

Desperate for Dental

Renting Costs

Long Battle Caused Financial Strain

Need Help with Mortgage

Help Healer With Gas Bill

Rental Assistance

Disabled Single Mom - We Need Beds

Need Rent Help

Truck Payment Help to get to Work

Power Bill

Disabled Man Needs Medical Care

A Family In Need: Mortgage

Help to Breathe, Need AC Unit

Help With Knee Surgery Bill

Mom With Cancer: Car Repair Help

Wife Now Disabled due to MS: House

Back to work--help us keep our home

[Photo by Frank Farm]

Who We Can Help: Types of Modest Needs Grants

Today I thought I'd use this space to remind everyone about the types of grants Modest Needs offers to its applicants. If one of these situational grants applies to someone you know in need, please let them know. It's why we are here. And we'd like to fulfill as many grants as we can, so here's a rundown of how you can help your friends and neighbors by way of Modest Needs.

Self-Sufficiency Grants

This grant is for normally self-sufficient individuals and families who are burdened by a one-time, emergency expense. This could be an unforseen medical bill, car repair bill or an unexpectedly enormous electricity bill. This grant aims to prevent applicants from falling into a vicious cycle of poverty by preventing them from going completely under--something that should never happen to those who are blindsided by expenses, but otherwise keep themselves afloat. The maximum grant available under this program is either $1,000.00 or 7.5% of your household's verifiable annual income, whichever is greater.

New Employment Grants

Most of us have been there. You get a new job after being without from simply switching careers, but the lag time between pay checks is enough to put serious strain on your budget. Many of us have friends or family who can loan money to tide us over. Sadly, many do not. That's what this grant is all about. In making a New Employment Grant, our goal is to provide a willing but temporarily unemployed individual with the means to return to work. This may mean helping with the cost of tools, necessary education or required permits. It's a bridge for the gap between jobs.

Independent Living Grants

Those that are disabled or otherwise unable to work often must get by on very limited resources. This often means a social security check, disability benefits or other governmental assistance. However, these people remain self-sufficient on the little that they have. Which is why a one-time emergency can mean sending them tumbling into poverty. Individuals who are unable to work who find themselves in a bind qualify for the Independent Living Grants.

Non-Profit Grants

As a non-profit, Modest Needs knows that those who do good for others can sometimes struggle to fund their projects. Non-profits who are working for the good of the public are sometimes unable to make ends meet, which means that those they serve also suffer. Animal shelters, domestic violence homes and educational charities sometimes need supplies to help those in need. They can go before Modest Needs donors in hopes of fulfilling these urgent needs.

If you know of anyone to whom these situations apply, let them know we are here to help. Applications are done exclusively online, so all you need to do is tell them our web address to get them started: ModestNeeds.org.

[Photo by nicht mehr hier]