It only takes one spark of hope to change someone’s life.
In 2014, Rev. Calvin Holloway, The Patch’s Manager of Family Development, first met Melanie and her daughter. The two were living with Melanie’s father as Melanie, a single mom, was struggling to balance life and work. She was taking care of her dad, attending nursing school, working 20-25 hours per week, and raising her daughter who is a Patch member. Melanie had a lot to juggle, but she was determined.
Over the next few years, Melanie continued in her program, received a nursing degree, and secured a full-time position. In the midst of the pandemic, she saw an opportunity to create a brighter future for her family so she pursued traveling nursing assignments in California and Louisiana while her daughter stayed home with family.
Once she returned back to Louisville, one of the things she decided to do was to return some of the generosity she had received. Just as The Patch had once helped her, she reached out to our organization to donate items for our food pantry. Recently, she donated some laundry detergent to our food pantry. She told Calvin, “The nursing assignments paid me very well, and I saved my money. I wanted to find a way to give back to The Cabbage Patch.”
With a new spark of hope, Melanie’s next goal is to purchase her own home and start the process of paying off her student debt. Thanks to your continued support, we are offering families, like Melanie’s, the hope they are looking for to turn their dreams into reality.
“We never know how the assistance we provide to a family can have an impact on their future,” stated Rev. Holloway.
(note: Names have been changed in this article to protect privacy.)