Helping Mrs. B

Mrs. B

Mrs. B. came to us in arrears with ConEd, Verizon and rent, depressed and speaking almost in a whisper of her life of hard work and hard-won independence, working in the clothing industry. She felt she had always been a generous person, even giving a good portion of her life savings to a church in Pennsylvania where she lived at the time,  knowing that she would long be part of their caring community. When the pastor left without notice

Mrs. B. felt scammed and displaced and was forced to move back to Upper Manhattan without savings and without her community.  She receives home care and relies solely on her social security, a small pension, and food stamps for her expenses. Feeling disillusioned after spending her life as a giving and generous person, she didn’t know what would become of her.

Referred to Riverstone, Mrs. B. got the help she needed.

We assisted in getting her past rent paid and helped to coordinate a stipend. Within a few months, she paid her debts, and perhaps most importantly, we helped to coordinate the purchase of a dining set, which enabled her to give her first Thanksgiving dinner in three years, where she shared her famous sweet potato pie with friends!

She is very appreciative of the agencies that helped her back onto her feet. She now speaks in a voice with sparkle, is getting out and around, losing weight and feeling happy and hopeful, focusing on her health and wellness in a community where she again feels involved. And of course, she keeps on giving.