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These Kossacks could use some help catching up with life after life caught up with them. [1]

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Date: 2023-04-05  

We’ve made some significant progress for a few. Coloradowoodsman has a good start on making up the late payments demanded by the mortgage company. Yea!!! He’s posted an update to his diary, Please Help. The PayPal was time limited and is now closed. I’ve asked if he wants to post a personal PayPal but so far haven’t heard back. The GFM is still open.

Morgansmom has had a very small amount come in this week, $35. It’s better than the $0 the week before, but her needs are still there and still unfunded.

Christopher Reeves now has a revised goal of $25,000

Kos Katalogue—It’s currently being revised, so if you have changes/additions/corrections, let Cathy M or Bead Lady know.

And now I want to address a sneaky money thief: application fees. Rental properties now often charge a significant amount, $70-120, non-refundable, just to fill out an application. It doesn’t take more than 2 or 3 of these to deplete funds, with nothing to show for it at the end. I can’t begin to imagine the justification for this, but it’s a new reality. So people asking for money to relocate to rental property have an exceptional need.

Then there’s food assistance, or SNAP. That’s administered by the states, but overall, the amount has been greatly reduced, now that COVID is “over” (/s, but it’s official policy now, I guess). So people who were in need before are desperate now. And a word or two about food pantries. They aren’t all the same. It can depend on your area. My mother volunteered at her church pantry. They gave each registered family three days’ worth of meals for each person in the household. (Don’t you dare think my mother did this from any goodness of heart.) A friend volunteered at her church’s pantry. They picked out “some” food for each family, but not measured in meals-per-person, just whatever the volunteer thought they should have, with no attempt at balanced meals. One of our Kossacks went to her local pantry. For her once-a-month request for herself and her son, she was given a jar of peanut butter and a sleeve (not the whole box; just a sleeve) of saltine crackers. It can be a reliable source for some, or it can be a waste of time. The gas to drive probably cost as much as or more than peanut butter and a fourth of a box of crackers. But even at its best, it isn’t meant as a total food source.

It costs more to be poor. Guaranteed. I figured that out on my own, more than half a century ago. No cash reserve for stocking up or bulk buying. Late fees. Overdraft fees. Interest going out but not coming in. And every small extra need is a crisis.

These community members need a little push to get over a hump. Maybe it’s an unexpected medical bill. Maybe there’s a life situation that has come up and requires resources beyond regular income. Maybe they just got behind and need help getting their footing again. For whatever reason they need help, Wednesdays are the day the Street Prophets diary focuses on those needs. Maybe you’ve skipped over this weekly diary, thinking the little you can give won’t make a difference. But you don’t have to meet a person’s entire need. If we all join together, the small amounts each person can contribute will add up to enough to make a difference in someone’s life. Even $2 or $5 or $10, when added to the mickle that others give, can be all that it takes.

When sending via PayPal, be sure to select “Send to family/friend” to avoid fees on either end. Be aware, both donor and recipient, that GFM not only charges fees to recipients and asks donors to contribute to their organization, but also money received through that platform is treated as taxable income. You will receive a form 1099 and it’s reported to the IRS. If you are requesting help through GFM, also be aware that there can be delays in accessing the money.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/4/5/2162211/-These-Kossacks-could-use-some-help-catching-up-with-life-after-life-caught-up-with-them

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