How many times does reliable transportation prevent an individual or family from rising above economic distress?

We suspect it is not a rare occurrence so when we spoke recently with Marc Fogel, chairman of Yad Chessed, a small, highly efficient Boston-based organization which provides funds for families and individuals who suddenly find themselves without the means to survive economically, we learned of a chance to possibly reverse one family’s downward spiral.

Marc shared the story of a family where the wife has lost her job and run out of unemployment benefits.

Her husband has the potential to make good money as a court stenographer but only gets called for jobs intermittently. Recently, one call seemed to turn the situation around when it led to other calls. Sadly, the jobs are in a wide geographic area (up to 50 miles away) and he has no car. If he turns them down he is sure to jeopardize future assignments. (A serious back problem prevents him from using public transportation). If he uses a cab, sometimes the fees are so high that they wipe out the very income that he makes by taking the job.

How could we help? Working with Yad Chessed, the Good People Fund contributed funds to allow the family to purchase a decent used car that will provide reliable transportation and perhaps, forestall the inevitable collapse that could come from this difficult situation.

A wise investment, for sure.