100 Neediest Cases campaign kicks off with goal of helping 4,927 families in St. Louis area
Ms. V worries if she's raising her three elementary-aged granddaughters right. The world they are growing up in seems a lot different than the one she remembers as a little girl, she said.
Ms. V has been the sole caregiver to the girls — ages 6, 7 and 11 — since her daughter, Jasmine, died of a drug overdose last year. Not long before, her son had been diagnosed with kidney cancer and her own mother had died.
"I've got to keep going for them. ... It's just rough to start over again at the age I'm in," said Ms. V, 56. "I got my days I smile, my days I break down."
Ms. V and her granddaughters are among the thousands of St. Louis area residents who are part of the 100 Neediest Cases campaign this year, an annual effort between the United Way of Greater St. Louis, dozens of social services agencies, school districts and nonprofits to raise money to help thousands of local families facing adversity.
The Post-Dispatch, which has partnered with the United Way on the campaign for more than five decades, will highlight the stories of 100 families over the next month. The profiles will be accompanied by artwork from the annual student art contest. Scarlet Brothers of Nerinx Hall placed first; Kensington Curd and Ellesie Strassner, of Brentwood High School, placed second and third.
The 100 Neediest Cases fundraising this season will benefit 4,927 families, which breaks down to 11,842 individuals. Last year, the campaign raised roughly $1.6 million, giving families financial help while covering practical needs like winter coats, groceries and household supplies — and holiday presents for kids.
"For more than a century, people in the St Louis region have answered the call, and sometimes that's a $5 donation ... sometimes that is a family adopting a family and incorporating that into their holiday tradition," said Becky White, United Way of Greater St. Louis' direct services program manager. "We couldn't do this program without both of those gifts."
More help with basic needs
Ms. V is far from alone in struggling with monthly expenses and providing the necessities for her family. She's behind on rent and needs assistance with food, beds, other household needs and clothing for the fast-growing girls — the 11-year-old seems to be going up a shoe size every other month, she said.
And, due to inflation and a tough economy, Ms. V said her money doesn't go as far as it used to.
"I try my best to give them what they want or surprise them to do something, go somewhere, but it's just hard to do," Ms. V said. "You have funds, but the funds aren't always supposed to go that route. You got to pay bills, get your car fixed."
White said this year many families are requesting not Christmas toys for kids, but more help with basic needs like gift cards to grocery stores and pharmacies.
Families in the program live at or below 125% of the federal poverty income level, White said. For a family of four, that's an annual income of $39,000 — though many struggle to get by on far less.
Nearly 43% of individuals and families in St. Louis metropolitan do not have the monthly income to meet their basic needs, White said. Last year, 100 Neediest Cases benefited 5,370 families, she said.
Ms. V said she misses Jasmine everyday, but she sees her daughter in the three girls. She remembers Jasmine as a good kid who was always by her side and did little things to keep her smiling. Similarly, Ms. V's three granddaughters clean the house when she's tired and they tell each other they love each other often.
Jasmine used to always request a seafood boil for her birthday dinner and now all three girls ask for seafood boils on their birthdays too, Ms. V said.
She's still navigating keeping Jasmine's memory alive and emotionally supporting the girls with their grief. The holidays have been difficult for the family, she said, because they remind everyone of when Jasmine would come over to celebrate. Yet, Ms. V said the girls motivate her.
Ebony Glover, a social worker with Cardinal Ritter Senior Services (CRSS), has been a caseworker with 100 Neediest Cases for the past 12 years. She met Ms. V about two years ago through the CRSS's Relatives Acting as Parents Program.
She hopes to help deliver some holiday spirit to Ms. V's granddaughters this year.
"I think it's important, if nothing else, to make kids see magic when they see Christmas," Glover said. "That's one thing that takes the pain away just a little bit. It never dulls it but it'll take the sting out of it a little bit."
Donations can be made to the 100 Neediest Cases General Fund by sending a check to 100 Neediest Cases, P.O. Box 955925, St. Louis, MO 63195 or by adopting a family or individual online.
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