Feature article

The challenges that Emergency Fund clients face during the winter can seem obvious: Gas bills skyrocket as families turn on the heat. Harsh weather leads many businesses to decrease their employees' work hours, knowing they won't be as busy. Cars have more problems when the thermometer dips below freezing.

But once the warm weather finally rolls around, it can be easy to forget that summer poses challenges, too:

Completing the Women in Manufacturing Program at the Jane Addams Resource Corporation (JARC) is no small task. The participants, who train together for two and a half hours a night, three nights a week for six months, have to be determined to learn, and ready to deal with the hardships of working and going to school at the same time. But while the challenges are great, so is the reward. Through the program, the women learn to operate Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines, a sought-after skill in the manufacturing world.

The Emergency Fund touches the lives of struggling families and individuals through a collaborative and growing network of more than 51 partner organizations across the region. These partners distribute our financial assistance to help people during difficult times. We are committed to strengthening these relationships and to welcoming new partners as we cultivate our dedicated and compassionate community of giving.

Specifically, we always assess the following factors when choosing Partner Agencies:

 The federal poverty level for a family of four is a mere $23,550 per year.

For many of us, the idea of supporting a family on $23,550 is out of the question.  For some, it would not even be enough money to support a single person.  This number is not as shocking as it might first seem.  In fact, a person living in Chicago making minimum wage ($8.25 an hour), and working full-time without any personal, vacation, or sick days (40 hours a week), will make approximately $16,000-$17,000 in a year.