As a single mother, Genevieve has always tried to find a balance between work and being a mom.

When she graduated from college in 2009, a classmate connected her with a manufacturing job where she could apply the technical skills she learned in art school. She stayed with the company for nearly nine years until she became pregnant with her daughter, Edith. The manual labor required by the job combined with a lack of a maternal leave policy led her to the decision to leave the company. “Caring for my daughter has been a full-time job ever since,” said Genevieve.

For many working parents, public schools are a primary source of affordable childcare. With Edith beginning pre-school this fall, her mom was hopeful that she could return to work… but due to the pandemic, Edith only attends school in-person two days a week. “She’s very independent and stubborn… and also playful and curious,” Genevieve said of her daughter. “She doesn’t do well in front of a computer.”

Genevieve has connected with EFAA for a variety of resources over the years. She’s received help with her rent and gotten groceries from the food bank when things were tight. The most important part to her, though, was getting connected to safe and stable housing. Through a community partnership, EFAA connected Genevieve and Edith to Boulder Housing Partner’s Bringing School Home program, which pairs ongoing family resourcing, academic support, and permanently affordable housing to improve the well-being of children and their parents.

This spring, Genevieve saw a posting online for a temporary job in EFAA’s food bank. “It seemed like the perfect opportunity for me. I already knew how beneficial EFAA was, and the hours were super part-time so I knew I could get help with Edith,” she said. She joined the team at EFAA’s food bank and became one of the new core staff members on-site throughout the pandemic, helping distribute prepackaged food bags to community members in need. “It felt good to be a part of something important,” said Genevieve.

Join Genevieve in helping our community this holiday season. We need your help to sustain our higher levels of food and financial assistance to our neighbors who continue to feel the financial impacts of COVID-19. Pre-schedule your Colorado Gives Day donation today to help strengthen our community.