Editor’s note: Today begins Operation Holiday, our annual campaign to give some holiday joy to children in the struggling families of our communities. We will profile a family in need every day between now and December 24.
Mae does not get a lot of sleep.
For sure, having six kids in the house will do that to a mom, but even if she could, she can’t.
Mae, whose name has been changed here to protect her privacy and that of her family, has insomnia.
So does her 9-year-old daughter.
Mae also suffers from “general anxiety.”
So does her daughter.
“She has an (individualized education plan) for math. She struggles with word problems, but she is an exemplary student. She is on the honor roll. But at home, she has behavior problems. She has severe anxiety. She tries to sleep with all the lights on. She will get up and start talking and yelling at people, but she’s still asleep. And then she will creep down the stairs. Her anxiety gets the best of her most nights,” Mae said with a sigh.
The rest of the children in her house — ages 2, 4, 8, 9, 11 and 12 — are boys.
“We’re a very busy family,” Mae said with a laugh.
Particularly busy are the several of her children who have ADHD, attention deficit/hyper activity disorder. “Everything we buy has a purpose and this summer we bought a ‘dome’ for out in the yard and the kids play on it for hours. It tires them out.”
Three of her children have learning disorders and are trying to get up to grade level in reading.
One of her sons, 4, is autistic “and he can’t keep calm when I am busy, so it takes a lot of my focus,” Mae said.
Mae’s husband is also autistic.
“He is high functioning,” he does the shopping and takes care of things around the house. “He is a good, hard-working man, but he struggles in a social environment, so I am the blunt end of most of the family responsibilities, and that can be overwhelming,” which does nothing to lower Mae’s anxiety.
Neither parent can work and they get by on the three Social Security payments they get each month and put food on the table with $400 a month in food stamps and local food pantries. “I’m very good at stretching our food. You’d be surprised what I can do with a box of Ramen,” Mae said.
Mae said Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday because “food is life and when you share food with your family, you are creating a bond you cannot replace. No amount of money can replace family.
“The food banks here are so generous,” Mae said. She said that in a different county where the family lived for six years, there was not as much support. “Every time we went to the food bank, we had to explain our situation, every time. It’s embarrassing, mortifying to go through that just to get a few cans of food,” said Mae.
“We barely qualify for LiHEAP (to help pay heating costs). For that, we get $300. The bill was $1,500, so we’re still paying that off,” Mae said.
“We have family who helps when they can, and we try to make do with what we have,” she said.
One thing they have is a very generous church, the Church of the Nazarene in Royersford. “They reach out to us to make sure we’re OK. They have a van and come to you if you can’t come to them. When we went there, we found our church and when you find your church, you keep it.”
The family makes its way forward, in part, through “a strong belief in God.”
“So at Christmas, we do a tree and the older kids know any gifts they get come with God’s blessing. But the little ones still believe in Santa and they all know we do not make demands, because that is not grateful. It’s not Godly. You ask for what you want.”
Mae has taught her children “Santa is the lord’s messenger. Everything comes from God and you have to open your heart to God.”
Mostly what they ask for is clothes. “I have two pre-teens, two in the middle and two toddlers and they just keep growing. They’re very active and things get torn, life happens,” said Mae.
Perhaps their biggest challenge is the constantly “changing landscape.” With her diagnosis, her children’s, the never-ending need for clothing, trying to get the food they need, all with almost no sleep. “I admit, it’s exhausting,” said Mae.
But this year, with your generosity, Mae and her family can get some help through Operation Holiday.
History
Operation Holiday was started in 1991 at The Mercury in Pottstown to help families going through tough times provide something for their children during the holidays. The mission of the program is to make sure there is food on the table and gifts under the tree when Christmas morning comes.
Now in its 34th year, the program has served thousands of families throughout Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties, expanding its reach in recent years to include communities served by readers of the Reading Eagle, The Times Herald, The Reporter, and Daily Local News.
Nearly $90,000 in donations last year provided food and gifts for 419 children and 184 families, plus cash donations to food pantries in Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties.
This year, Operation Holiday has partnered with 17 agencies in the tri-county area. Agencies have referred 189 families with 366 children for gifts and food.
There is no overhead with Operation Holiday and all funds stay local. Funds are collected and audited in a nonprofit foundation account managed by staff of MediaNews Group newspapers who volunteer their time.
Gift cards to area grocery stores are provided to each family for food, so that they can purchase the fixings for a holiday dinner as well as staples for the pantry. Weis Markets is a partner with Operation Holiday and has assisted with food purchases and gift cards.
Gift cards for every child in the program 16 years of age or younger are purchased through Boscov’s and distributed in partnership with the referring agencies so that families can purchase gifts of their choice.
Operation Holiday does not accept families who have not been referred by an agency. Operation Holiday is funded solely by reader contributions. All contributions are tax deductible.
How to donate
Online donations are being accepted in a secure portal in partnership with TriCounty Community Network. Visit https://tcnetwork.org/ and click on the link for Operation Holiday.
Contributions also can be mailed with checks payable to Operation Holiday to PO Box 1181, Pottstown PA 19464; The Reporter, 34 Susquehanna Ave., Suite 100, Lansdale PA 19446; Operation Holiday, 1440 Lacrosse Ave., Reading, PA 19607.
The names of all contributors are published in the participating newspapers as donations are received. Please note whether a contribution should be designated as anonymous or given in tribute or in memory of someone.
