Stories from our Employee Emergency Fund

Manna had an employee who did not have housing secured since last year. She was pregnant and did not have a house to have to bring her baby home to. Her baby was born, Covid hit, and she was unable to secure housing for herself and her baby. All the resources she knew to contact in the community were inundated with requests and had waitlists piling up. Each of her paychecks were going straight to food, diapers and essentials for her baby. She was staying on a friend’s couch but her time there was running out and she didn’t know where to turn. Her manager reminded her about Share the Dough so she reached out. We were able to give her a sizeable Walmart gift card to provide diapers, food and essentials but more than that, we were able to get in contact with the local Rescue Mission, who we fund through Change for Children, and secure her and her baby a safe and secure place to live during this difficult season. She plans to use this time with her housing and essentials covered to save for a deposit for her own apartment. These simple gestures were what she needed to find security for herself and her child. She was so grateful and thankful to Share the Dough and all who contribute. Even given this women’s limited resources, she began contributing a dollar from each paycheck to be able to help other employees during emergency situations. Share the Dough felt blessed to be able to mobilize not only monetary support but also our network in the community to secure housing for this valuable team member and her little one. We felt blessed to watch her faith grow as she took the step in faith to give financially to our organization.