Editor's note: The following is a profile submitted by Quincy Community Action Programs for The Patriot Ledger's Lend a Hand campaign. The clients' names have been changed.
Jay is a hardworking mother to 4-year-old daughter, Sophia. In April 2024, while Jay was at work, she got the terrifying news that little Sophia had been struck by a car while being watched by a babysitter.
The accident kept Sophia in the hospital for an extended period of time and caused an external tibia fracture that meant she had to temporarily use a wheelchair. As the only parent in the picture, Jay had to stop working so she could be by Sophia's side while she recovered. Without a reliable paycheck, and as the hospital bills continued to mount, Jay was unable to make her rent payments.
The good news? Sophia recovered well.
Sadly, the hardship didn't end there for the family.
Jay was able to find work in August as an Uber driver, but her car plates were stolen out of her apartment garage. When she went to get new plates, she found out that the culprits had quickly racked up thousands of dollars in EZ pass tolls under her name, preventing her from getting the new plates she needed to keep her car on the road.
As a stopgap, Jay has been renting a car to continue working as a rideshare driver, trying to get caught up on rental arrears and paying down the EZ pass balance.
Jay is in desperate need of financial assistance to get caught up on her bills. Lend a Hand support for her rent will help alleviate the stress she feels from the specter of getting evicted.
Jay will instead be able to focus her earnings on paying down the EZ pass balance and securing her new license plates so she can continue to work and provide for Sophia each day.
Lend a Hand was founded by Chazy Dowaliby, who died in 2019. Dowaliby, who became a well-known South Shore figure in her decades at the helm of the Ledger, was named the paper's executive editor in 1998 and launched the Lend a Hand program in her first year. Since then, Lend a Hand has raised millions from readers' donations.
Donations to Lend a Hand help fund the social services programs and resources for its three partner organizations: the South Shore Community Action Council, Quincy Community Action Programs Inc. and Aspire Health Alliance. Lend a Hand only takes monetary donations, which go to the agencies.
Aspire Health Alliance serves Boston, the South Shore and Southeastern Massachusetts by providing mental health programs and services for children, teenagers and adults, as well as services for children with development disabilities through an early intervention program. The agency is also the regional provider of 24/7 crisis intervention services.
South Shore Community Action Council is a Plymouth-based nonprofit serving low-income families and individuals on the South Shore through food assistance programs, child care and other social services.
Quincy Community Action Programs is a Quincy-based organization helps individuals and families achieve financial stability through education programs, early childhood education, and heating and utility assistance, as well as helping put food on the table through the QCAP food center.
Lend a Hand donations each year range from thousands of dollars to small checks of $10 or $15 to coins from a child's savings. It all adds up.
Donating is easy.
Many will find using PayPal the easiest. You can donate securely online through PayPal. All credit cards are accepted, and you don't need a PayPal account. Search: PayPal Lend a Hand Foundation. The direct address is www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=F5JAG5WWMYS5A.
Another way to donate is to clip the coupon from the print edition of The Patriot Ledger or from this story. You can send in a check or money order. Don't have the coupon? Just mail us a piece of paper with this information:
Your name, address, telephone number, amount of contribution, who the donation is from or if this donation is anonymous, and if you'd like to donate in honor or memory of someone. Please note, your address and telephone number are not for publication, but are for us to contact you if we have any questions.
If you have questions about The Patriot Ledger's Lend a Hand campaign, email [email protected] and put "Lend a Hand 2024" in the subject line.
And most of all, thank you for your generosity and your continued support of Lend a Hand.