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7 selections of fresh vegetables
6 selections of
fresh fruits
7 varieties of
frozen meats
5 bags of
non-perishables
1 bag of paper
products and personal care items
Gifts from a Secret Pal
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When we are young and we imagine what our lives
will be like in our senior years we picture ourselves surrounded by loved
ones, carefree and content with our situation. For many, however, the
reality is far from the fantasy, as they find themselves alone and desperate
in their old age, barely scraping by each month on their limited income. The
seniors in our Senior Citizen Project have all learned to make do with very
little, but it can be heartbreaking for us to see how truly needy so many of
them are, not just in material goods, but in emotional support. When we meet
a senior like 70 year old Jan, we understand immediately that she needs not
only the material support we provide for her, but also the emotional comfort
of knowing that there is someone out there who cares for her. We'd like to
thank you for joining with us to provide for Jan. With your permission, we'd
like to take this opportunity to introduce you to this wonderful woman.
A native of the Northwest
Side of Chicago, Jan has suffered through a great deal in her life. At a
young age her father passed away, leaving her mother to care for the family.
Jan had several brothers and sisters so this was no easy task! Optimistic
Jan, however, rolled up her sleeves and joined the rest of the family in
coming together to make sure everything ran smoothly in their household. All
the while, she dreamed that someday her home life would turn out to be
easier than her mother's. This was not to be the case, however. Jan did
marry, and had four children, but her husband and she separated while they
were still young. She has bad memories of her marriage and subsequent
divorce and, at this point in her life, doesn't like to talk about her
husband very much. After she finished the job of raising her four children
on her own, she then took care of her ailing mother for 20 years before she
passed away at age 95! It seems that her whole life Jan has been providing
care and comfort for others while taking little for herself!
It would be nice to say
that this situation has turned around, but sadly things are worse than ever
for Jan. The year 2000 was truly disastrous for her. That year she lost not
only her mother, but two of her brothers and one of her sisters. The only
remaining sibling she has lives far away in Arizona and she never sees him.
Her children, likewise, are scattered across the country and busy with their
own lives. Of her four children, she only communicates with one regularly.
Jan also has many health problems to contend with which have become more and
more prevalent in her troubled life. Suffering from fibromyalgia, high blood
pressure and osteoporosis, Jan's increasingly poor health has become a major
concern for her the past few years. All of this might not be so bad if she
had the finances to live comfortably, but a lifetime of hardship has left
her with little money to speak of. Her social security income of only $561 a
month is hardly enough to make ends meet after her subsidized rent and bills
which total over $135 on average. Jan's car has been broken for a long time
now and she just can't save up the money to fix it herself on her limited
budget. It is difficult for most of us to understand the kind of hardships
that Jan must face on a daily basis!
Thankfully, Jan will
never have to worry about where her next meal will be coming from! Jan says
that it is so valuable to her to receive three to four weeks worth of
groceries each month including 6 selections of fresh fruits, 7 selections of
fresh vegetables, 7 frozen meats, five bags of non-perishables and personal
care items delivered right to her door. With all the loss she has
experienced in her life the last several years it is also valuable to Jan,
who has given so much to others, to know that there are people near by who
are there to give back to her. We are truly thankful to you for joining with
us to provide nourishment and comfort to this
wonderful woman who so sorely needs our help.
Things to Remember about Jan:
Jans birthday is February 27, 1936.
She loves to read both fiction and non-fiction.
She enjoys watching movies on television.
Her income is $561/month.
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