Woman wants grandkids to have festive holiday
Adisabled grandmother with four grandchildren living in her home says she is doing her best to care for them since their mother left and hasn’t been heard from.
She receives Social Security benefits and some help from other family members but struggles with too many bills and no way to catch up.
The vehicle she uses to get the children to school needs repairs. While she prays for her daughter’s return “so that we can be a family again,” she is saddened by the thought that her grandchildren won’t have a holiday to celebrate.
She is hoping for help from the Empty Stocking Fund.
The Empty Stocking Fund is a project of the Santa Fe New Mexican. The Santa Fe Community Foundation, Los Alamos National Bank, the Salvation Army, Presbyterian Medical Services, the Life Link, Habitat for Humanity and the Housing Trust donate services to jointly administer the Empty Stocking Fund.
Throughout the holiday season, the newspaper is publishing stories featuring requests for assistance from local residents.
The information from the initial application will be verified if the applicant is selected for assistance.
To donate: Make your tax-deductible donation online at www.santafenewmexican.com/ empty_stocking or mail a check to The New Mexican’s Empty Stocking Fund c/o the Santa Fe Community Foundation, P.O. Box 1827, Santa Fe, NM 87504-1827. Donors can request to remain anonymous. If you can provide a service such as roofing or home repairs, contact Habitat for Humanity at repairs@santafehabitat.org.
If you can contribute food, clothing, toys, housewares, furniture, firewood, or other items or services, call the Salvation Army at 505-9888054.
If you donate online in honor of a friend or loved one, a custom e-card can be sent from the Empty Stocking Fund to let them know about your contribution, courtesy of the Santa Fe Community Foundation and InSight Foto.
To apply for assistance: Applications for help must be received by 5 p.m. Nov. 30 to be considered by the Empty Stocking Fund Committee. Those who have received aid from the fund within the past four years will not be provided aid again this year.
Applications can be submitted online at www.santafenewmexican.com/empty_stocking. People who do not otherwise have access to the internet can go to any of the city’s three public libraries or to the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions at 301 W. De Vargas St.
Applicants who meet the eligibility criteria will be considered without regard to race, creed, place or country of origin, age, disability, ethnicity, color, gender identity, marital status or sexual orientation.
Recipients must live in Santa Fe County or Rio Arriba County and provide a Social Security number.