$97 might not seem like a lot of money to most. But for Joan H. of Grandview, Mo., it felt like an impossible amount of cash to come up with. And she was in excruciating pain.
“I had this tooth that had been hurting and it really needed to be removed,” Joan said. “But at the time, I couldn’t afford to pay for the $97 extraction. So I was miserable.”
Money is often tight in her family of five. So sometimes, they’ve turned to United Way Impact 100 partner Grandview Assistance Program for help with bills and groceries.
When she reached out this summer, while suffering from that tooth pain, it turned out to be perfect timing.
Grandview Assistance Program is one of 20 community partners participating in a second round of United Way’s debit card initiative. The program seeks to provide immediate assistance through prepaid debit cards to support households facing an immediate financial hardship. Since the second round of funding launched this spring, more than 400 households have been supported with an average of $952 in aid per debit card issued.
“My husband had been sick and lost some hours at work, so we were really struggling,” Joan shared. “We have three young boys also and they were really needing new shoes and some new clothes before school starts this fall, and I had no idea where we were going to come up with the money for that.”
Thanks to generous support from community donors like you, the Hadley family received a $1,000 debit card. Now all three boys have shoes, clothing, and Joan is pain-free after getting her damaged tooth removed.
“My husband was like, ‘Who gives that much money away?’ We were truly blown away and just feel so blessed,” Joan said. “Not only could we take care of the boys and my health, but we also got enough groceries to last the month. It is a huge relief.”