for Jane

I am about to do something I have never done before, and wouldn't normally do: ask for money on the internet.

There's a woman, we will call her Jane*, who is really struggling right now. She escaped a very abusive relationship, and is now living in a shelter with her toddler son. Taking care of a toddler is hard enough without adding a) single mom b) living in a shelter c) being fearful of the ex - all into the mix. Right now, her life is very difficult.

Jane needs to find a safe place for her and her son to live, and is also saving for a car.

It shouldn't need to be mentioned, because abuse is abuse is abuse - but Jane is a smart, educated woman. I know there can be a stereotype surrounding domestic abuse, that it's only a certain kind of person who gets abused. Abuse can happen to anyone. Age, race, gender, economic status - none of those things matter. And there's this idea that they must be stupid if they've allowed it to happen. Well, she's not stupid. She's a really smart person who loves her son more than anything and is doing whatever it takes to keep him safe. She's the kind of mom who is concerned with what kind of foods she feeds her son, and believes in attachment parenting. Before she was living in this shelter, she was just like any other normal person. Things can go from sugar to shit really fast.

What I'm asking from you all is to help her get back on her feet. I was able to give some, and a few friends have already blown me away by just hearing about Jane's situation and donating money to a stranger who needs help. Thank you so much to those who have already donated. It's helping her get back on her feet.

I'm not asking for huge amounts. Any small donation will help, because if lots of people give even just a little bit, all of that will add up to helping her find a safe place to live. Do you like to buy a latte when you're out? Would you consider not getting the latte just for one day and giving that money instead to help Jane?

You guys know I don't do this, ever. I give to charities I believe in, but I don't like to go around beating a drum and trying to rally people for a cause. I like to let people make their own decisions about what charities they give to. But this is a real person, not a charity. Anything you give to her will get directly to her and not be split up into overhead costs, or paying for some CEO's absurd salary.

I've set up a PayPal link on the right side of my blog, and if you would like to donate, I would really appreciate it - and Jane would really appreciate it. Thanks for all the generosity I've already seen from you all. Greatest bunch of people ever. I'll keep track of everyone's name so she'll be able to know who has helped out. Every single cent of what you give will go directly to her.


* Not her real name, for safety reasons. Getting away from an abuser can be scary, and nobody wants to be tracked down. So I'm not putting her real name on here because discretion is extremely important right now.