Oftentimes a certain words brings about an image. The word is despair. Do you have an image?

A single mom tries to support her two young children on her minimum wage job, and she has just received the school supply list for the upcoming year. The children are so excited at the idea of going to the store and buying new Crayons, notebooks, pencils, and colorful backpacks. She has  no money. DESPAIR.

A grandmother is raising two young grandchildren on her Social Security pension. All the grandchildren want is a peanut butter sandwich for lunch. She goes to the cupboard and realizes that there is no peanut butter and there is no jelly. The shelf is empty. Her pension check will not arrive for five days. DESPAIR.

A single mom in her 40s has a teenage daughter. The mom had been working as a checker in a grocery store. She was experiencing health problems and came to the point of being unable to work.. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Not able to work, without insurance or money to pay rent and utilities. DESPAIR.

We see these faces and many more at Raytown Emergency Assistance Program. The people who come through REAP's doors are just like you- consumers, neighbors, and friends. They are people we see every day in our community. We must never forget that we are all just one serious accident, one major illness, or a corporate downsizing away from the possibility of needing the assistance of agencies like REAP.