Mercedians in need look to a Helping Hand for relief

Sometimes, the hope for relief comes at a price. For Tammie, the chance to have her son receive a potential treatment for his seizure condition meant she had to endure the expenses of being near UC San Francisco.

That was not an easy challenge for the Merced woman, who not only cares for her 30-year-old son, but for her 80-year-old mother as well. On top of being a caregiver for two people, Tammie has been without steady work since she lost her job last year as a cashier for a local store, a position she’d had for 14 years. On top of that, she fell and broke her arm.

Now, with her unemployment benefits having run out and her bills piling up, she did not know how she would be able to pay the family’s monthly rent. That’s when she turned to the Salvation Army for help.

“She was very much in need of rental assistance,” said Elaine Gale, the Salvation Army board member who coordinates A Helping Hand at Christmas, the annual fund-drive that raises money to help local Mercedians in need.

“We will be able to help them out thanks to the Helping Hand program,” she said.

Gale shared Tammie’s story with the Sun-Star, which has been a partner in the Helping Hand drive for 30 years, to help the community understand how their contributions benefit fellow Mercedians. She withheld Tammie’s last name to respect the family’s privacy.

“It’s a good example for us of helping people who are in need,” Gale said. “She hasn’t been able to pay their rent and for her to not have a roof over her head, especially since she cares for two people... These are some of the examples of what we can help people with.”

The Salvation Army and the Sun-Star hope to raise $55,000 this year to help the community.

Supporting the fund is easy. A payment slip, such as the one printed on the front page of Wednesday’s Merced Sun-Star, can be used to mail in a contribution or to drop one off at the Sun-Star office.

For supporters who want the ease of donating electronically, the Salvation Army has a website to gather funds designated specifically for the Helping Hand drive. The URL for donations is salar.my/helpinghands.

Helping Hand distributes charity awards of about $400 to each family in need – “some a little more, some a little less,” Gale said. All families seeking help are required to meet with Gale and to provide evidence of their financial situation – utility bills and rent receipts, she said.

Money donated to the campaign also pays for 350 food baskets that allow families to celebrate the holiday with a warm meal.

This story was originally published December 20, 2016 at 3:21 PM with the headline "Mercedians in need look to a Helping Hand for relief."