withoutmelissa:

A fellow blogger and friend Julie, posted the most heart wrenching story about a young mother with three children who was begging and living on the streets of San Francisco in order to escape an abusive relationship. Julie took action to try and help Kalaya and her children ages 9,7 and 2 months old. When Julie asked if she could use her camera and blog as a means of sharing Kalaya’s story and hopefully getting her some real help, Kalaya replied ,”It can’t be any more embarrassing than what I’m doing now.”

Read her blog posting here.

For a few days afterwards, Julie could not locate Kalaya and her family, but eventually with the help of a Social worker friend they were able to find her. Some small steps have been taken to ensure that this family has a warm, safe place to stay and opportunities to improve their situation, but only temporarily.

Read the follow up here.

These are real people in real need. They exist, right here today in this great city. I simply can not imagine being faced with that sort of predicament for myself, much less with three precious little children in tow. Please consider donating, even if it is $5. If you can’t commit money, please give your time and either reblog or send Julie a letter of encouragement for them at the link above. Brent and I are donating money to this family as well as writing them a letter and sending up a thousand prayers for them. My hope is that this blog posting generates even more support. They will be front of mind for us both as we try to figure out other ways we can help.

Many thanks,

Melissa

This story is just one of a thousand. Although it may only seem like a drop in the bucket, take just a minute to help out. And thanks to all those sharing this story and giving voice to what some many deal with every day.