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Renewing Maya’s Hope: simple acts of support

Ryan Hazelton, Senior Philanthropy Officer
November 15, 2017

With her newborn son cradled in her arms and 4-year-old daughter by her side, Maya walked into Safe & Sound’s family support center unsure of her family’s future. Maya’s husband was out of work, and with a newborn, Maya wasn’t able to work just yet. The family had shelter in public housing, but they were barely getting by — they needed food, personal health items, and hope.

Maya came to Safe & Sound looking for help. After shepherding her children to our playroom, she began chatting with Sophie, a therapeutic caregiver. During their conversation, Maya told Sophie her family was having trouble making ends meet — especially for basic necessities like food and diapers. Maya still didn’t have a stroller for her newborn and her arms ached from carrying him. Sophie quickly grabbed an emergency food bag for Maya, and then excused herself for a moment, returning with a stroller for the baby!

In that moment, with tears of joy and relief in her eyes, Maya felt hope. This one simple act made Maya feel supported and, for the first time in a long time, that her family would be okay. Receiving support and basic necessities empowered Maya to draw on her own resiliency to face the daily challenges of parenting — and of life.

Now, as we experience the Bay Area’s resilience after the devastation of the North Bay fires, we are inspired by the power of community coming together to support one another. Every year, Safe & Sound directly empowers more than 12,500 children, parents, families, and community members to build a social safety net that supports one another and protects children. Every day, we provide vulnerable families with vital services like counseling and parent education, and basic necessities like food, toiletries, and bus tokens.

In this challenging year for the Bay Area, and so many other parts of our country, our community resolve must shine bright. We need everyone united to ensure families like Maya’s can thrive. Our services are possible because of supporters like you.

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