14 year old teen girl in foster care has recently been able to reunite with her sisters (E, 11 and R, 12), stepdad, and step-grandmother! The grandmother has been the primary caregiver to E & R, as well as her own sister who has been sick. The grandmother also lost her son recently. Despite all the grief, the grandmother has enthusiastically accepted the 14 year old into her home, but is concerned about keeping up with bills as well as providing a good Christmas. We are looking for Christmas decorations, gift cards, and teen girl items.

A single mother who has been working hard with DCFS to regain custody of her Special needs son has experienced temporary hardship due to losing her job due to lack of transportation because her car broke down. The mother is also requesting any leads for job opportunities in the fast food or customer service industry.

A mother who has been dedicated to reunifying with her four children is facing some very hard times. The mother was able to find reliable transportation and housing, however with her not being employed at the moment, she is high risk of losing her vehicle due to outstanding balance. The mother has been involved in medical appointments and any educational decision making. This family is close to reunification; however the mother is struggling to pay bills since her recent injury. The mother has tried to keep her bills paid to ensure she has proper housing for herself and for the children. At this time, the financial request would be towards the mother's car payment, which also allows for the mother to visit with her children consistently.

This donation request is being made on behalf of a young mother of four who recently gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Mother is struggling with many obstacles this holiday season; managing her severe epilepsy, cooperating with The Department of Children and Family Services during her open case and experiencing homelessness. All while fighting to avoid post-partum depression. Clothes in a size 3X and size 6 shoes would help this mother tremendously and, thus, keep her warm this holiday season. Anything would be greatly appreciated

My client who is a young mother of two, is requesting help with getting a Christmas tree for her home. After a long year, this young mother has reunified with her children and has them both in her care just in time for the holidays. We are asking for help to make this holiday special by helping her get a Christmas tree for her home to really bring out the holiday spirit. We have referred to her and her children to our gift program so her children can receive gifts this Christmas and all she needs is a Christmas tree to be able to put those gifts under.

Caregiver/NMD needs a refrigerator. Caregiver has been trying to save up for one but has not been successful. Although, caregiver is having that challenge, caregiver is trying to her hardest to provide for her children. Furthermore, caregiver is committed to maintaining the family together. During my work with caregiver I have identified the following strengths: mother works, is knowledgeable of child’s needs and is present.. Caregivers goals are to be able to live on her own. For these reasons, I am advocating for caregiver to have the need identified met. The main reason I am requesting this need to be fulfilled is because mother is having a hard time to work and then stop by the market and cook fresh everyday for the 3 children and herself everyday. Mother and children were kicked out of her old apartment and was not allowed to remove anything from the location. Mother lost all her appliances and everything for her kitchen. Mother stated losing everything was hard but the worse thing is not having a fridge to save food. Food has been spoiling if they don’t eat it right away. Mother does not get CAlfresh and is buying her food by her hardworking money. This need is critical to ensuring that family can stay fed and save money. DCFS has assisted the family by providing a referral for kitchen items to Jamesstore. DCFS will continue to link the family to community services such as food banks, counseling, etc. in order to ensure the family continues in maintenance.

Children Division is assisting a family who has faced some housing hardships with their home conditions and had to throw clothing away for the children. Mom has no income and can not afford to replace the children's clothes for school and everyday wear. The children in this family need school uniforms and warm winter clothes with undergarments. This family also asks for eight storage bins to store the new clothes to prevent them from getting ruined. The children in the home can attend school with clean clothes by meeting this need. Thank you in advance for meeting this need. 13-Year-old boy: Shoe size: 18, Shirt size: XXL Pants: 40x32, Underwear: XL Socks & coat 10-Year-old Girl: Shoe size: 5 Clothes size: 14 girls 8-year-old girl: Clothing size:14 Shoe size: 9

Good afternoon. I am requesting community assistance to help support an older youth on my caseload currently in the care of the MO Children's Division. At this time, My youth is needing financial assistance to help with vehicle repairs. My youth is in need of $360 + Tax to help with replacing an Accelerator Pedal and clean Throttle Body in her 2008 Chevy Impala. There is also a hub bearing growling/hum noise that changes with speed that needs to be addressed. The estimated cost is $360 plus tax to address these issues. My youth's car has broken down once already and had to pay almost $800 in repairs. My youth's job requires her to have stable transportation for work and I am worried her car may break down again if these issues are not addressed. My youth plans to seel her car and finance a newer one once these repairs are made. Any financial assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you and have a blessed day!!

Mother who has just moved to Kansas City from Honduras about 6 weeks ago. She has just welcomed a new child but has no supplies for baby. Mom is expecting to discharge from the hospital today and is need of a car seat to leave the hospital. Thank you for your assistance in advance.

Good Morning, I am the Case Manager for a high school student that is in current need of a new bed. The mother is requesting $300 to help purchase the students bed. The mother was offered a great opportunity from a closing furniture store to purchase a bed, frame, and mattress (suitable for clients need) at only $300. Otherwise, the mother will need to spend more money to buy a queen sized mattress and bed for the student. The student is heavier set and requires a bigger bed. The mother is not working full-time and therefore cannot afford purchasing a bed on her own. The income that comes in from her job only covers the basic household needs. I have assessed the situations and can confirm the client is sleeping on a broken bed. Without our support the clients mental and physical health is at risk due to the interruptions in her sleep. Thank you in advance!

Youth will be moving to Hawaii for a job opportunity at the end of the month. He will be exiting care and uprooting his life. He is in need of a luggage set to get all of his stuff across country.

Young mother and her two children are in need of furnishings to accommodate the growing needs of the family and unable to afford it due to the family receiving limited funds. The mother is currently focused on starting a nursing program and at this time is unable to work to afford this large expense. The family is in need of a queen size bed frame, box spring & mattress (their current bed is very old and too large for their space-it was handed down to them and is showing some wear and uncomfortable to sleep in), and a tall drawer dresser (they are currently renting a room and need storage for the children's belongings). By fulfilling this request you will help the family have an organized space, and get good rest so they can be comfortable and well rested.

Family in need of rent support. Family of 3 is about to lose their home, they have finally secured a possible new placement. They need assistance with the deposit. Our student is new to the country and has his sister and brother in law as his guardians. Only the brother in law is working at this time. Sister is attempting for find a new job. Student has aspirations to work in the medical field and is happy for this new opportunity.

Two children (Boy age 9 and Girl age 8) are living with their biological grandparents after their previous adoptive home fell through. The grandparents are doing a wonderful job of taking care of the kids and getting them the supports and services they need. The children's school is offering a holiday day camp while school is out of session for the Christmas holiday. The family would like financial assistance getting them enrolled so that the elderly grandparents can keep the children in their routine as much as possible for the children's mental health. The program has a $75 enrollment fee per child, and a cost of $30/day/child. This would total to $450 for the two children for the 5 day program.

My caregiver is currently caring for her two nieces who are 12 years old and 7 years old that were placed in her care June of last year. They are in urgent need of financial assistance as the caregiver has been unable to catch up with her past due rent since losing her job this summer. My caregiver has since been hired at a new job that is beginning in December. She has shown resilience and commitment to maintaining her nieces in her care by actively looking for work and resources to help her save money on her expenses. Assisting my caregiver with her past due rent will help not only maintain this family’s current living situation, but also prevent them from eviction and possibly losing their section 8 voucher. My caregiver is determined to get back on her feet and stay on top of her finances for her nieces placed in her care and her own two children.

There is a 18 year old Africian-American male who is in need of a winter coat, he is homeless and having a warm comfortable coat would help him out alot. He wears a XL in size

2-month-old baby boy who has been in the NICU since birth, discharging home on Wednesday (12/06) with complex medical needs and significant medical equipment (feeding tube/pump; suction machine; cough assist). Family already has a stroller (double stroller) but this stroller is not safe for baby due to positioning needs. The family has been encouraged to obtain either a carseat with bassinet attachment (and bottom shelf for equipment) or a wagon to help transport baby. Any help in obtaining this item that family was not expecting to have to need is greatly appreciated. Please reach me at(###) ###-#### to discuss plans for assistance. Robyn

I work with a family at our school who is a single parent and is employeed and just barely making ends meet. Their bank account information was stollen last week and she is in crisis trying to pay her bills. Her car tag fee is one bill she cannot pay and they are expired by a few weeks and she is worried she will get in trouble. She relies on her vehicle to get her children to school and to drive to her job. The amount of the tags is $245. If anyone is able to help this family, they have a lot on their plate and this would enable the mom to prioritize other bills and expenses this holiday. Thank you for considering!

Family ( mother, father, and their 7 years old and 3 year old child), need assistance paying for their hotel where they have been staying at since becoming homeless. the family does try and work but father recently lost his job. Family will have no income until the first of November and they need to pay for another week or they will be on the street. Family and their workers have explored hotel vouchers, homeless shelters, and any family assistance but so far they have not come up with any. amount below will cover a week, by which time, they will have income on the 1st of December. hotel is the Super 8 by Wyndham Lees Summit.

We are coming to you with an immediate need regarding a mother who is unable to pay her phone bill. This is a more immediate need because mom is currently unstable and needs to have access to her phone to reach out for mental health support if needed. She is engaged with our adult services and is slowing engaging due to severe anxiety, issues related to parenting a child who struggles with severe emotional disturbance and an abusive husband she is trying to separate she and her children from. For her safety she is in need of $110 to pay her phone bill before it is shut off. We are hoping you may have a donor interested in helping this mother. Thank you for your quick responses to the needs of those we serve. You’re blessing many lives!