A Ray of Sunshine
Shane and Lisa weren’t unfamiliar with tough times. They had gone through rough patches before but had always been able to scrape together enough to pay bills and care for their two children. When inflation began to take a toll on their family budget, they tightened their belts, kept working hard at their full-time jobs, and waited for the economy to bounce back.
But then new challenges appeared that made staying afloat impossible for the family. Shane’s car needed a sudden and expensive repair. His hours at work were cut back and overtime opportunities disappeared. One day, Lisa opened an electric bill to find that it was double what they had budgeted. They were in trouble and couldn’t see a way forward without help.
Lisa reached out to The Salvation Army and made an appointment to see volunteer Cecelai Moroni. It was her family’s first time to ever seek out assistance, and when Lisa arrived to fill out the paperwork her embarrassment was clear to Cecelai.
“She was ashamed that they couldn’t make their payment,” Cecelai shared. “We told her not to be ashamed because everyone needs a little help occasionally. Afterward you could see the weight of this bill on her shoulders had been lifted. She had tears in her eyes as she thanked us for our help.”
Cecelai used Salvation Army funds to cover the costly electric bill and then made sure that Lisa could get groceries from the food pantry to help feed her family. While talking with Cecelai, Lisa explained that she and Shane had never asked for help before because they didn’t want to be a bother. They had always figured that there was someone out there who needed it more than they did. When the time came, it had been hard to admit that they were now those people in the most need.
In the months since, Lisa has stopped to talk with Cecelai on multiple occasions, a grateful smile always on her face and a little tear in her eye.
“She always lets me know what a difference that day made for her family,” explained Cecelai. “She says, ‘If it wasn’t for The Salvation Army and your help I don’t know how we would had paid our utility bill. You all were a ray of sunshine on one of my cloudiest days!’”