Struggling mother of 7 finds strength in children, faith

Some years it seems that obstacles come one after the other.

Charlotte, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, is pretty familiar with years like that after experiencing the loss of a child, homelessness and then the difficulties that come along with a new home.

“We basically have just been having a rough time,” she said. “I did have eight children and one passed about two years ago and we were also recently homeless. We weren’t really able to afford the holiday this year.”

Charlotte is the mother of seven children ages two to 10 and, after experiencing the loss of her 7-month old daughter, has been working hard to keep her family together.

“We recently got a home March 13 but we’ve been having issues with that too,” she said.

Since May, Charlotte has been out of work after her foot went through the porch of their new home. Unable to work, she has been having difficulty getting needed therapy for two of her children as well.

The circumstances have also left them in a tight spot when it comes to celebrating the holiday. Although they are unable to decorate in the traditional way with a Christmas tree and other items, Charlotte says they still like to celebrate the holiday by being together as a family.

“We like to decorate the tree but we didn’t have money to purchase a tree this year. So we like to drink hot cocoa, talk about school and what the kids want to be when they grow up. We talk about family traditions they want to start when they get older and things like that. Sometimes I invite my nieces and nephews over just so they have company and stuff to play with,” said Charlotte.

To get through the holidays, Charlotte says she has relied on her faith and her kids, who have helped remind her every day that they love her.

“It’s the fact that my kids tell me every day they love me and that they wish they could get a job and help me. They tell me I’m their hero because I always seem to hold onto my faith and keep going,” she said.

To help Charlotte keep going, Operation Holiday is lending a hand.

Now in its 28th year, Operation Holiday has provided a brighter holiday season to thousands of families with children. Last year more than $42,000 in donations allowed the program to provide food and gifts for 147 families with 412 children in need.

The program was created and exists for children. The mission of Operation Holiday is to ensure that children of the Pottstown area have food to eat and gifts to open, no matter how poor or difficult their family situation may be.

There is no overhead with Operation Holiday and all funds stay in the Pottstown area. Families are referred by more than 20 local agencies and churches.

Funds are collected and audited in a non-profit foundation account managed by staff of The Mercury.

Food, which includes the fixings for a holiday dinner as well as staples for the pantry, is ordered, bought, packed and distributed by Mercury employees and Pottstown High School student government volunteers.

Gift cards for every child in the program 16 years of age or younger are purchased through Boscov’s and distributed in partnership with the referring agencies.

Operation Holiday does not accept families who have not been referred by an agency in order to protect the integrity of the program.

Operation Holiday is funded solely by readers’ contributions. All contributions are tax deductible.

Contributions should be mailed to The Mercury, Attn: Operation Holiday, 390 Eagleview Blvd., Exton, PA 19341. Make checks payable to Operation Holiday.