Mary has one child, a lovely 10 year old son, Mark.  Mary has lived out of state and has had a good job for many years.  However, due to the economic downturn she was let go from her job and has been unable to find a new position.  Having recently gone through a difficult divorce and with no income to speak of, Mary decided to return to Connecticut to live with her mother and make a new beginning.  This has been harder than Mary thought.  She has not found work and can not stay with her mother much longer.  She came to the Community Dining Room for direction and support.

At the Community Dining Room Mary learned about and signed up for SNAP dollars.  These she should receive soon which will help with her food budget.  Mary now regularly attends the CDR family dinner on Tuesday nights.  Mark is making friends at the family dinner which will help him in his school transition.  Networking with local groups the CDR recently held Back To School Night and distributed school supplies to the students at the Tuesday dinner.  Mary was so thankful for this support as were the 32 other children receiving supplies that evening.  Mary also utilizes the Wednesday Night Take Out dinner, a new CDR program made possible through N2N LifeLine grant funding. 

Mary has said more than once she feels a caring community around her and is receiving the help she desperately needs as she works to re-establish her life and provide for her son.  She feels more confident in her future as she moves forward.