Tomato, cucumber, lettuce, and collard greens sprouted from its fertile soil. Chickens roamed free. Bridgette Bell Kinzer worked the land and raised livestock alongside her father and older brothers. Kinzer spent 10 years in the Navy. Before her discharge in , her mother, Hedy, died. For a time, McClenton lived alone, too weak by then to tend to the farm. The crops were left to spoil. McClenton died in the hospital in Nov. Given that the work and paycheck are prone to fluctuating, she supplements her income by working part-time at a TJ Maxx.
Consulting opportunities hardly trickled in. She stopped going to the grocery store, opting instead on the charity of local food banks to supplement her pantry and fridge. Several months of rent went unpaid.
Kinzer was ineligible from receiving rental assistance. Representatives from state agencies told her that her household income exceeded the threshold set by the state dispersed through the U. Stimulus payments became a welcome relief, however fleeting. Earlier this year, she turned to the Veterans Affairs office in Atlanta, who suggested she contact the Gary Sinise Foundation. Few options remained. In May, Kinzer applied for financial assistance β realizing then that she was at a make it or break it moment.
Business is booming in the Atlanta metro area, with employers hiring at breakneck speed. In Nov. As for where they anticipate holding the baby shower?
