You lifted Jenna’s Family Out of Poverty

She arrived at Metro’s Holiday Tent with three children in tow — two teenagers and a preschooler. Jenna had no clue what the next week would hold, let alone Christmas. After a sudden loss of income, the single mother was out of options.

Despite working full-time at a local restaurant, Jenna couldn’t stretch her wages to cover rent, groceries, and childcare. What could she possibly cut? Without childcare, she couldn’t keep working. “For months, we lived in uncertainty,” she says. But Jenna wouldn’t compromise on one thing: her children’s well-being. Even while homeless, Jenna never stopped showing up for her children — doing everything in her power to give them a sense of normalcy. She plugged them into any extracurricular activity she could, cheered them on at school events, and volunteered with them in the community.

You gave Jenna and her family a clear exit out of homelessness!

But despite her strength, Jenna knew she couldn’t cross this crisis alone. She turned to Metro Ministries. And because you give, she was able to find a clear exit out of poverty.

Hope taking root

“I first came to the Holiday Tent for help,” says Jenna. She was connected with family and child services plus our employment team. Jenna knew no one was going to let her fall through the cracks.

And with hard work, everything shifted.

Thanks to your support and her own resilience, Jenna secured a new job with benefits and wages 30% higher than her previous job — enough to build a solid foundation for her children. Soon after, she found safe and affordable housing.

Jenna’s story shows what happens for a family when you provide clear exit plans out of homelessness. Your generosity opens the door to hot meals and shelter . . . but it grows into something more — a job, a home, and a family future.

Thank you for helping families leave poverty behind for good!