A Cheerful Giver
Pay it forward.
Most people associate this with the car in front of them in a drive thru paying for their $5 meal, but for one Montgomery County woman, paying it forward this Christmas had a deeper meaning. Brenda volunteered to ring bells at the Red Kettle because she wanted to raise funds to help others the way The Salvation Army had helped her when she was struggling and needed a helping hand.
In the summer of 2024, Brenda started experiencing some health issues. A doctor told her that to care for her health, she couldn’t continue living in the truck she had been calling home for several months and would need to find an apartment. Even though Brenda was working and diligently saving, she was still short on the deposit needed to get into an apartment. She was at a loss, wondering how she would care for her health problems without the money to secure an apartment.
Most assistance programs in Montgomery County are unable to help with an apartment deposit, but when Brenda inquired with The Salvation Army, she got a different response. Clay Adams, a volunteer for The Salvation Army, spoke with Brenda and could see that she had already saved up some funds and just needed a little help to cover the remainder of the deposit.
Thanks to donations made at Red Kettles during the Christmas season, Clay was able to use Salvation Army funds to help Brenda secure her apartment. Once in a stable environment, Brenda was able to care for her health concerns. She was overwhelmed with thankfulness to finally have a place of her own and a place to care for herself. Thanks to that simple hand up, she has not needed to return to The Salvation Army for more assistance.
In November 2024, Brenda sought out Clay and said, "I want to pay it forward. I want to volunteer and ring bells for Montgomery County. I want to help care for others the way you cared for me." Her gratitude was overflowing, and she couldn't help but want to pay it forward to ensure others could also have life transforming opportunities.