Woman needs help raising nephews, paying bills

Share the Season is an annual campaign that offers one-time aid to people affected by unforeseen hardships. The people are not identified to protect their privacy.

The 54-year-old woman lost her job at the beginning of this year because of health issues.

She is raising 8-year-old twins she adopted several years ago when a relative couldn’t raise them.

She is four months behind on her mortgage.

“I am not a person to ask for help,” she said. “This is really big for me to ask.”

She is a Sunday school teacher and volunteers each Wednesday night to feed people and clean her church. She is hopeful Share the Season can help.

A year ago, she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. She was the kitchen manager of a small hospital. She had been on family and medical leave before she was fired.

“I was thankful I filled out my disability papers in Nov. and by God’s grace I got it started in May,” the woman wrote on her application.

But her mortgage payment takes more than half her disability payment.

“I have a budget that I try to stay on but I never have enough,” she wrote.

Share the Season is a joint project of The Eagle, the Wichita Community Foundation and the Salvation Army.

So far this season, it has raised more than $86,796.

Send contributions to Share the Season at the Wichita Community Foundation, 301 N. Main, Suite 100, Wichita, KS 67202. To donate online, go to www.sharetheseason.org. If you have questions about donating, call 316-264-4880.

Donors will be listed in The Eagle; please note if you prefer to remain anonymous.

To apply for help, fill out an application at www.sharetheseason.org or pick one up at the Salvation Army, 350 N. Market. The application deadline is Dec. 20. For more information, call 316-263-2769.

This story was originally published December 4, 2015 at 5:32 PM with the headline "Woman needs help raising nephews, paying bills."