Urgent need for friend
My friend and her three boys just fled an abusive situation. She is from another country and didn’t know that what was happening with her husband was very illegal here. I helped with the emergency ex parte, and we filed for Emergency SNAP, TANF and for the Legal Services of Southern Missouri Lawyer, but none of that has come through yet. We also tried going to the family justice center.
She has some very important immediate needs!
A job is crucial. She speaks mostly Russian so it would need to be somewhere that is accepting of that. She is an excellent seamstress and also great with children.
Gas Cards and grocery gift cards would be a lifeline right now, and diapers (size 5) would be great.
She also really needs a very low cost place to stay, be it an apartment or a rental home. She has no income currently, but we are working to change that.
My friend really needs a positive sense of community and love. Her church was unfortunately very backwards and patriarchal and told her that she might die from the abuse, but it was a risk she had to take. Apparently this is a common problem with some of the Russian-speaking churches in Springfield (and other parts of the world), which is so heartbreaking. I’m asking for help in showing her that society knows better and that other moms, churches and people in general will accept her (I’m not even religious). She is such a kind, sweet woman, and she and her boys deserve better. Please reach out if you can help or if you know someone who can!