Car repairs set Scituate mom back at Christmas. Can you Lend a Hand?
SCITUATE – Car repairs are expensive and annoying for all of us.
But for Heather Fitzpatrick, news that her car needed new brakes to the tune of $1,000 was enough to set her back for months. Especially because $1,000 accounts for an entire month’s worth of disability benefits.
Fitzpatrick, a client of Aspire Health Alliance who lives in Scituate, is hoping to get a little extra help this holiday season to afford gifts for her 14-year-old daughter, Zoey, and a winter coat for herself.
“I don’t want for much, but I’m struggling,” she said. “When you’re on a fixed income, even $20 to $30 is a lot.”
Fitzpatrick said Zoey is a freshman at Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School and splits her time with Fitzpatrick and her ex-husband and his family in Pymouth. She said Zoey asked for a pair of Uggs for Christmas.
“She’s really good. She only asked for some clothes and makeup,” Fitzpatrick said. “She understands that my finances are a little different and I have to save up.”
Fitzpatrick lives in an income-based development at Kent Village in Scituate and relies on the Scituate Food Pantry to make ends meet, especially as the cost of food, utilities and other bills go up.
As for herself, Fitzpatrick said she could “desperately” use a winter coat.
“It’s the only thing I really need,” she said. “I have a heavy sweatshirt and a sweater I wear, but I try not to go outside for very long and just go from the house to the car. I make do, but a coat would be nice.”
Who does Lend a Hand help?
Lend a Hand was founded by Chazy Dowaliby, who died in 2019. Dowaliby, who became a well-known South Shore figure in her decades at the helm of the Ledger, was named the paper’s executive editor in 1998 and launched the Lend a Hand program in her first year. Since then, Lend a Hand has raised millions from readers’ donations.
Donations to Lend a Hand help fund the social services programs and resources for its three partner organizations: the South Shore Community Action Council, Quincy Community Action Programs Inc. and Aspire Health Alliance. Lend a Hand only takes monetary donations, which go to the agencies.
Aspire Health Alliance serves Boston, the South Shore and Southeastern Massachusetts by providing mental health programs and services for children, teenagers and adults, as well as services for children with development disabilities through an early intervention program. The agency is also the regional provider of 24/7 crisis intervention services.
South Shore Community Action Council is a Plymouth-based nonprofit serving low-income families and individuals on the South Shore through food assistance programs, child care and other social services.
Quincy Community Action Programs is a Quincy-based organization helps individuals and families achieve financial stability through education programs, early childhood education, and heating and utility assistance, as well as helping put food on the table through the QCAP food center.
Lend a Hand donations each year range from thousands of dollars to small checks of $10 or $15 to coins from a child’s savings. It all adds up.
How to donate to Lend a Hand
Donating is easy.
Many will find using PayPal the easiest. You can donate securely online through PayPal. All credit cards are accepted, and you don’t need a PayPal account. Search: PayPal Lend a Hand Foundation. The direct address is www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=F5JAG5WWMYS5A.
Another way to donate is to clip the coupon from the print edition of The Patriot Ledger or from this story. You can send in a check or money order. Don’t have the coupon? Just mail us a piece of paper with this information:
Your name, address, telephone number, amount of contribution, who the donation is from or if this donation is anonymous, and if you’d like to donate in honor or memory of someone. Please note, your address and telephone number are not for publication, but are for us to contact you if we have any questions.
Mailed donations go to:
The Patriot Ledger
3 Webster Square PMB #467
Marshfield, MA 02050
If you have questions about The Patriot Ledger’s Lend a Hand campaign, email [email protected] and put “Lend a Hand 2024” in the subject line.
And most of all, thank you for your generosity and your continued support of Lend a Hand.
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