Drowning in poverty, a North Dakota family rises up
A year ago, Christopher, Maija and their young children were drowning in poverty and despair.
“Times were hard for us, with financial problems and bills piling up,” said Maija (pictured). “It’s awful when your kids are hungry but you can’t feed them … or when you only have one diaper left for two babies.”
The family was isolated, living in a small town 30 minutes from Fargo, N.D. They couldn’t go anywhere because they couldn’t afford a car. The didn’t even have furniture in their apartment, other than one mattress on their living room floor.
They were in a terrible predicament: Despite Christopher and Maija’s willingness to work, they faced a harsh reality in which working low-paying jobs would push them even deeper into hardship than being on public assistance.
With nowhere else to turn, they called The Salvation Army for help. They learned about a long-term Salvation Army mentorship program called Pathway of Hope, which provides individualized support for families with children who desire to break the cycle of crisis.
With guidance from a Salvation Army caseworker named Kelsie (pictured), the couple began setting goals and charting a course for success. Christopher and Maija’s biggest goals were to find employment, better housing, and reliable transportation.
Today, they have all three.
Housing: Kelsie helped the family secure a larger home, located in the Fargo/Moorhead area where they would have better access to services and employment. Kelsie also connected them to a local nonprofit that provides free furniture. Now, everybody in the family has a bed, their living room is furnished, and the kids have toys to play with.
Employment: In September, Maija was hired full-time at a local restaurant. After six months of hard work, she was recently promoted to manager and received a raise. For now, Christopher is staying home with their kids – but he will begin working once the family can find an affordable daycare option.
Transportation: Kelsie connected Christopher and Maija to a local transportation nonprofit that helped them secure an SUV. The family now has the freedom to drive wherever they need to go, whenever they please. “I’ve never been in the driver seat of a car that was mine,” Maija said. “The first time I sat in it, I felt like I could do anything.”
Kelsie is proud of this family for how far they’ve come and how committed they are to accomplishing their future goals.
“Now their main goal is to be off public assistance completely,” Kelsie said. “This family has shown tremendous growth and resilience, accomplishing goals that once felt out of reach. Watching the strength they’ve built together and the progress they continue to make has been so rewarding.”
Christopher and Maija are thankful for The Salvation Army and our supporters for making their progress possible.
“Whether it’s a dollar, or 50 cents, or some canned goods – it all makes a difference to somebody who doesn’t have it,” Maija said. “The Salvation Army gave us hope to keep living. If it weren’t for The Salvation Army, only God knows where we’d be today.”
You can support people like Maija and Christopher by donating to The Salvation Army on Giving Hearts Day, when donations will be matched to provide twice the support for North Dakota families. Make a general donation or click on a specific community below. Matching gifts to The Salvation Army include $25,000 that will be split between The Salvation Army’s North Dakota locations in the following amounts: