By Danielle DeSisto:
Most days, a Riverside couple and their three children go to bed hungry.
The father holds down two jobs while the mother stays home to care for their two sons, ages 11 and 9, and 2-year-old daughter, who has special needs. It’s been difficult enough to keep up with mortgage, health insurance and utility bills, let alone unexpected expenses, including a broken dryer and air conditioner and emergency room visits for their daughter.
“Considering I can barely afford food, I have no idea how we’ll make Christmas happen for my children,” the mother wrote in a letter to the Give A Christmas fund, co-sponsored by the Burlington County Times and Willingboro Rotary Club.
With assistance from Give A Christmas, which supports struggling families in Burlington County during the holidays, the couple hope to help their children forget their troubles and preserve the magic of Christmas.
“As they grow older, their wish list becomes smaller, yet more expensive,” the mother wrote of her boys. “They are both honor roll students. They deserve a nice holiday.”
Since 1968, the Give A Christmas fund has collected and distributed over $3 million to thousands of local families in need.
As of Friday, $17,401 has been collected toward the goal of $80,000.
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