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Six months after the birth of her fourth child, stay-at-home mom Mandy suddenly found herself in one of the hardest places she’d ever been.

"When my husband left, everything changed," Mandy said. "We had a house, he worked a full-time job and I stayed at home with the kids. Then one day he just up and left, leaving his responsibilities to his family behind."

Mandy struggled to make the situation easier for her children, but ultimately she was forced to move everyone from their four-bedroom house to a two-bedroom apartment. She got a job working for the Kearney R-I School District and learned what it was like to provide for her family’s basic needs instead of their wants.

"We definitely had to downsize," Mandy said. "I had to get a job, and we moved."

While she said she could have found more affordable living outside of Kearney, Mandy chose to stay in town for her kids.

"With everything else in their lives falling apart, we needed our familiar friends, schools and community to draw on for support and security," Mandy said. "Although there was more affordable living if we moved, I didn’t want to move my family out of the Kearney community because it was all they knew, and I didn’t want to put them through any more drastic changes."

Although she had gotten a job, was paying her bills — for day care, groceries and everything else — Christmas just wasn’t as merry for her as it could be. Still unable to locate her estranged husband, Mandy faced the thought of telling her kids that they would have to forego Christmas. It was then that she put her pride aside and got involved in the Kearney Family Foundation’s Christmas outreach program.

"The Kearney Family Foundation came to the rescue," Mandy said. "Because of this wonderful foundation, my children had Christmas. I was overwhelmed with the love and care that goes into this foundation each year. We would never be able to have the Christmas we have without it, and my children and I are truly grateful."

While the foundation brought gifts for her kids, ranging from high school to preschool age, volunteers also brought items Mandy never dreamt would come.

"What they bring for my kids — the gifts — it’s huge," Mandy said. "For them to have stuff to open on Christmas, there aren’t words for what that means to me. But it’s much more. They bring food, laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, paper goods, basic-need items — it’s tremendous. What it does is take away the stress that the holidays would be. And it’s not only at the holidays. I still have stuff from last year. It really is such a blessing."

Mandy isn’t someone who seeks out every handout she can get. In fact, while Mandy possibly could qualify for year-round assistance, she only participates at Christmas time, and only so that her children have something special under the tree.

"I want people to understand that we’re not looking for a free handout," Mandy said. "I’m able to save up enough money to buy one gift for each of my kids. That’s it. There just isn’t any money left at the end of the month. I know other families involved in the program, they’re working parents, too, who just need a little help. It’s not about a handout; I truly wish people wouldn’t think that. It’s about being a community, supporting those in our community and giving to our community."

Mandy knows the value in giving back what you can, which is why her family chooses a child off the Christmas tree at their church to buy a gift for each year.

"I want to teach them about giving and being grateful," Mandy said. "It’s not a big gift, but it’s what we can give. My kids handle it very well, the older kids know that we’re involved in the program, and they’re very mature. They know that I’m doing the best I can, and they’re grateful. We went from having everything to having nothing, and they have done such a great job being mature about it all."

Mandy said she’s glad there’s a program in place like the Kearney Family Foundation.

"I go to work, I pay my bills, but there’s nothing left over at the end of the month," Mandy said. "This organization is so wonderful because it helps those people that are looking to help themselves. For us to have this organization that steps up is tremendous. Every year you hope that you don’t need to be involved, and some day that time will come, but right now I just couldn’t do it with out them. It’s such a blessing. And I just want everyone to know how much it means to me and how very grateful we are."

Staff writer Carrie Alexander can be reached at 628-6010 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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