At 18, Jackie aged out of the foster system. She slept on friends’ couches, moving from apartment to apartment as invitations were granted. She delivered pizzas to scrape by. After spending her entire life in foster care, she was angry, scared, resigned, and frustrated. She had no mother’s shoulder to lean on, no one to offer a hug or a word of advice.

When Jackie became pregnant, she knew she had to find a stable home. Earning $500 a month, she moved into the cheapest apartment she could find. It cost her $600 per month. She had never been taught how to budget, and she quickly found herself homeless when she couldn’t pay the bills.

At the age of 21, with a toddler in tow and another baby on the way, Jackie turned to Women’s Empowerment.

Yesterday was a special day. A donor stopped in with a bagful of necessities for the homeless women and children we serve.

A year ago, this particular donor sat on the receiving end of a similar donation, perhaps a gift you made. A year ago, Kathryn was homeless.

Kathryn owned her own business as an interior designer. She put in long hours and creativity to build a business she took pride in. Outside work, her family was her greatest joy. She would regularly sacrifice for their happiness. Yet all was not well.

She was sleeping in her car and had no money to buy food. Broke and unsure what to do, she would endure two or three days at a time without eating. Her compassion would not allow her to turn to friends for help, because, as she says, “they have problems of their own.”

For the first time in her life, Michelle was homeless.

Michelle once owned her own home; earned a good salary from her job caring for an elderly woman; and was married. Together, she and her husband also owned and managed a rental property. Michelle’s keen business sense meant she handled their finances.

Tracy beams. In two days, she is getting married. Like a bride-to-be, she swirls as she walks, claps her hands in delight, and her endless smile stretches from ear to ear. She stoops regularly to hug and kiss her dog. She exudes joy.

Not long ago, Tracy faced a different reality. In 1990, she witnessed an event that, to this day, she won’t discuss with anyone outside of Women’s Empowerment. As a result, Tracy experienced a mental breakdown and lost her job.

"I felt so disgusted with the world," she remembers. "I came to the river to die." Tormented by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Tracy sought to numb her mind. She soon became addicted to drugs.

When the holidays would draw near, Tracy's need to deaden the pain would heighten. She was embarrassed to contact her mother; she didn't want to disappoint her. Knowing she was alone drove her deeper into her addiction.