Empty Stocking Fund Stories

Profiles of families and individuals helped through support of the Empty Stocking Fund will run daily in The Gazette on the front page of the Metro section from Thanksgiving to Christmas.

EMPTY STOCKING: 'Grandpa's not working, so it's not easy'
Steve has been unemployed for five months, making it extra tough to raise three of his grandchildren. Steve and his wife have had custody of the children, ages 2 to 7, for the past year, when their mother became unable to care for them. The children...

Help on hefty hospital bills
Andrew's head slammed against a concrete sidewalk after he slipped off a second-floor balcony at his aunt's apartment. He didn't go to the hospital that night because he doesn't have insurance. The next day he was dizzy and vomiting, so his...

Charity lends a hand to mom of 3
Making $7 an hour at her bakery job, Zahkila was barely pulling in enough to pay her $700 rent and support her three children. She was $100 short on rent one month, served an eviction notice and fined $100 in late fees. She didn't have the $200 to...

Catholic charities helps keep heat on
An apparent mix-up with Colorado Springs Utilities left Shannon and her three children without power for two days.Shannon, 26, and a friend had gone to Utilities to pay her bill in cash, but the company didn't have a record of her paying it and cut...

Mom gets much-needed help from charity to pay rent
Toni broke her hand in November, and it's put her out of work from her three jobs for at least a month. The single mom of three children - 10 months, 8 and 12 - knew she'd be short on rent for December. Only her first name is being used to protect...

Single mom gets a lift after flames devour home
It was about 6 a.m. on a Saturday when Heather took a quick shower before heading to work. When she came out of the bathroom, she smelled something terribly wrong. "My kitchen and laundry room were up in flames," she said. She made a quick attempt to...

Westside CARES helps neighbors in tough times
They're not clients. They're not patients. The people pastoral nurse Linda Anderson ministers to are "our neighbors." "At Westside CARES we are helping neighbors in need," she said. Westside CARES is one of 14 agencies receiving money from The...

Fire hit twice, and Red Cross was there
Lightning, it's said, never strikes twice in the same place. Sometimes fires do, at least to the same people. For the second Christmas in a row the Stahl family is starting from scratch. In January 2007 they escaped the inferno when the Castle West...

Urban Peak a haven for troubled youth in area
Jaclyn's arms, thighs and lower torso are covered with the scars of her pain. After her stepfather starting molesting her, Jaclyn repeatedly took a razor to her skin, replacing the emotional pain with physical pain. Eventually her self-destruction...

Silver Key is a 'godsend' for senior living by herself
Emma Thayer doesn't think she could live on her own if it weren't for Silver Key Senior Services. The 89-year-old is agile mentally, but after a car accident eight years ago her physical agility is limited. "Believe me, they're a godsend," Thayer...