In 1985 a single mother of three had returned home to Idaho after leaving an abusive marriage, hoping to start a new life. Their 10-year-old car was paid for and only required liability insurance. The rent on their four-plex apartment was $325 a month and the mother worked swing shift as a desk clerk, earning $4.50 per hour. The two oldest children were teenagers and took responsibility for themselves and their younger sister while their mother was at work. There were few extras but the family was dressed in clean, warm clothes with a roof over their heads, an abundance of love and hope for better times to come. They weren't hungry, they weren't homeless and they weren't alone. But their under-$10,000-a-year annual income for a family of four was poverty level. A few days before Christmas a basket of food and small gifts appeared on the doorstep. The mother at first was embarrassed that despite her best efforts someone out there new their financial situation was dark. Pride brought resentment for the "handout" but the children thought it was marvelous that someone was thinking of them. It was a thoughtful gesture at a bleak time/Kerri Thoreson, Coeur d'Alene Press "Main Street." More here
Question: Have you ever been on the receiving end of charity?
D.F. Oliveria started Huckleberries Online on Feb. 16, 2004. Oliveria's Sunday print Huckleberries is a past winner of the national Herb Caen Memorial Column contest.
year-old car was paid for and only required liability insurance. The rent on their four-plex apartment was $325 a month and the mother worked swing shift as a desk clerk, earning $4.50 per hour. The two oldest children were teenagers and took responsibility for themselves and their younger sister while their mother was at work. There were few extras but the family was dressed in clean, warm clothes with a roof over their heads, an abundance of love and hope for better times to come. They weren't hungry, they weren't homeless and they weren't alone. But their under-$10,000-a-year annual income for a family of four was poverty level. A few days before Christmas a basket of food and small gifts appeared on the doorstep. The mother at first was embarrassed that despite her best efforts someone out there new their financial situation was dark. Pride brought resentment for the "handout" but the children thought it was marvelous that someone was thinking of them. It was a thoughtful gesture at a bleak time/Kerri Thoreson, Coeur d'Alene Press "Main Street." More here
