ASSIGNMENT: Help a family in need.
REFERRING OFFICER: Columbus Division of Police 11 Precinct (South Central Columbus) Community Liaison Officer Robin Medley.
We have worked with Officer Medley on at least three Assignments. He, and the officers of 11/12 Precincts (they share a substation), are very dear to our hearts. So, when he called us to let us know that he had an Assignment for us, we immediately got out our pen to take notes.
Ofc Medley told us the story of a despondent, hardworking man who's trying to provide for his family. He is a tow truck driver, who even occasionally tows cars for the city, but he's unable to take advantage of the extra shifts his employer offers because he has to rely on the bus. He has a vehicle, but it has a salvage title and it's not road worthy yet.
He has a 4-year-old daughter and an 11-year-old son, both of whom have special needs. They do have a caseworker from Nationwide Children's Hospital and require intense care, so mom stays home to do that.
The family has no furniture and the house is in severe disrepair due to the landlord's neglect. There is no stove, there is a water leak from upstairs that has caused severe damage to the first floor, and there are bugs. It doesn't even have smoke detectors. Ofc Medley immediately began working with Code Enforcement on this situation.
Eleven Precinct officers took up a collection to get them food to sustain them--they didn't have any. When people ask us for food, it actually scares us. That means they're in immediate trouble and we need to act quickly. Fortunately, the officers' donation provided them with enough food to get through the next few days.
Right now, we don't know if the family is going to have to move due to the many code violations or if the landlord will fix them and they can stay in the home. When their housing situation is improved, we will ask for furniture. However, for now, we used money from our emergency fund to get them air mattresses (we can't get real mattresses because of the bugs), and a used table and four chairs for them to eat dinner on and for the boy to do his schoolwork on. We bought both children some new clothes, and got the family household items and cleaning supplies. Ofc Medley reported that they try to keep the home very tidy and would appreciate those items. We didn't buy them additional food because it's hard to know what they want to cook, but we'll get them a Kroger gift card before their food supply runs out. We also provided them information about Blessing Boxes that are near them.
We ask for your donations to help the family. We have a friend going to look at the dad's car as soon as possible. If he thinks he can get it running, we'll use your donations towards that, which will be truly life-changing for this sweet family.
Since we want to protect the privacy and dignity of this family we can't show any pictures of them, so we thought we'd post some photos of our 11/12 officer friends. We know you'll recognize many of them. 💙
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