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After the pandemic took away Shardae Jenkins’s retail job, the 23-year-old single mother from Anacostia got behind on her bills and struggled to pay rent. She began wondering how she’d buy diapers for her one-year-old son. Then in August, some unexpected assistance arrived: $1,050 wired into her bank account the first of five monthly installments. The cash came with no rules, so Jenkins used it to pay creditors and purchase necessities. In a time of crisis, it was a critical source of stability.
Jenkins and her son are among the nearly 500 struggling families from the DC’s Ward 8 who have received an unrestricted monetary infusion through the Thrive East of the River partnership. This effort by four local nonprofits 11th Street Bridge Park, Martha’s Table, Bread for the City, and the Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative aims not just to ease pain caused by the pandemic but also to help change the way charitable assistance is provided.