OT: need advice, helping a friend in need

[koshka56]

This is hardly scrap related, but I needed a nice big group of folks to ask some advice. I have a friend whose husband works as a loan officer.. or should I say used to work as a loan officer. She is a part time worker, picks up jobs as a tutor and works some admin now that things are tough. Althought her DH is looking for a second job (in addition to the non-paying loan officer job) - he simply can not find anything. They are even talking about moving back in with her mother and renting their house so that they don't have to sell or lose it. These are very normal people, good people and hard working. The kind that never asks or expects anything. Two kids, one still in diapers. The person that could be anyone of us. It is a shame.

I'd like to help them out somehow and I am not sure how to do this without embarassing them. In fact there is a food drive at school where she'll still donate, even while looking at moving out of her house. I am sure they do not see themselves as a charity case, but at the same time I think they could use a little help if nothing else then to ease their minds or spirits. I thought about just slipping a gift card in the mail to them without a return address... I just without a thought, it seems kind of lame.

Any thoughts?

Ann

 

[digideb]

I don't really have any advice, but I do love the idea of the gift card! I don't think it's lame at all!

 

[Misty Cato]

The anonymous gift card is a great idea.

If they've recently done something nice for you (watched your kids, kept an eye on your house while you were away, etc.)

You could give them a generous gift card as a thank-you gift.

If she is looking for tutoring work, perhaps you could help her by passing some of her business cards around to families you know or at your school.

Another idea, invite them over for dinner and make tons more than you'll ever need. Send them home with all the leftovers. You could even make sure you have some freezer-type containers on hand so you can pack the stuff up for them in individual size meals.

 

[newfiemountiewife]

A few of my friends and I have done the anonymous gift card for a friend. It was sent from an obscure location, and to this day (3 years later) she doesn't know who it was. She may have suspected, but never could say for sure. It really lifted her, and helped her immensely. It is a great idea.

I also love Misty's idea about the food!

 

[wildblueeyez]

My husband and I would drop boxes of food off after dark at a friend's house - she was a single Mom with 2 young kids (the Dad was sent to jail). we also did gift cards to gas stations so she could put gas in her car.

To this day, she has no idea who did this when she was so down on her luck.