Grandma Falls Back on Candy to Pay Bills
Posted by DDOCS in Economy, tags: Economy, Food, Money
With the unemployment rate at 9.9% in April, many American are still out of work. The recession has hit a lot of families hard and these people are struggling to make ends meet. Well, we can’t all be Sarah Ferguson with a bit of royal access to sell, so a few folks are falling back on simple skills to pay their bills.
My favorite story is about a grandmother in Georgia. She lost her job in 2007 and has not been able to find employment since. So, she fell back on her homemade pralines to earn money. She’s gotten great feedback on the candy, but there is a snag. Driving around to sell her product costs gas money she doesn’t have.
I have been out of work since 2007. I have worked all of my life and find it very difficult to ask for help. I raised four children without a father’s help (yes, I was married). Think about it — after all the years I have worked and raised a family, I am still dealing with threats to turn off my utilities and repossess my car. I only have three months before I pay it off and they’re demanding all the money now or they’ll take it back.
What have I learned from being unemployed? That it’s frustrating and demoralizing. I have learned I would prefer to work to support my family and that I don’t want to be dependent on a Congress that obviously does not have America’s best interests at heart. I have learned to have more compassion for people who are in this situation and I’m now more willing to help them.
Some people want to work because they enjoy it. Not everyone wants a handout or to ask for help. This grandmother is ready to do what it takes. In the past three years, she’s gone back to finish her Associate’s Degree and passed the Real Estate exam.
So, Internet, we know your powers when it comes to Betty White, but what about supporting some of these small, struggling businesspeople? Buy some candy for a good cause, dammit.
Entries (RSS)