28-year-old Amanda started 2020 feeling hopeful. She had no idea she would lose her job as a part-time New York City insurance agent and her husband, a full-time city worker, in the same year due to COVID-19. When Jay, an asthma sufferer and the primary breadwinner, was diagnosed with coronavirus in April, after two weeks, the attack on his lungs proved too powerful, and he lost his fight.

After Jay’s death, Amanda could no longer afford the apartment she once shared with Jay whom she called her “best friend.” The two had begun dating in high school and married four years later. She never imagined they would only be given a short time to live the dream life they fantasized about as high school teenagers, or that their two daughters, Talia, 5, and Raven, 3, would grow up without their dad. Jay, who did not have life insurance, left no money behind to sustain the family, and Amanda was left with no choice but to move in with an aunt who is on a fixed income.

“I never thought my year with go this way,” Amanda told EEW, Inc. “I lost everything.”

Like Amanda, hundreds of thousands in the US are grieving the loss of loved ones to coronavirus, and many are suffering from food insecurity as a result. As of Nov. 12, there are more than 10.5 million cases of coronavirus and more than 240,000 deaths in the US alone.

During these difficult months, Amanda turned to her faith in God and relied on Empowering Everyday Women, Inc. for support, prayer, and encouragement.

“Through the Daily Cup of Inspiration blog and podcast from Dianna Hobbs, I found Bible teaching that gave me a source of hope and strength and helped me to trust God,” said Amanda. “I was also able to receive food and groceries tthrough Empowering Everyday Women’s hunger relief program. I felt the love of Jesus through the staff and prayer warriors. I was surrounded by a strong community of faith that got me through the hardest times. I am taking things one day at a time and getting my life and faith on track.”

This year has been difficult for many families, especially those hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. Families that were once secure and stable are fighting unemployment, grieving the loss of loved ones, and are barely able to make ends meet and keep food on the table. Here at Empowering Everyday Women, we focus on helping others in both spiritual and practical ways, and our work is fueled by the generous support of donors, sponsors and partners.

Empowering Everyday Women needs your help to continue being a blessing and meeting the overwhelming needs of the hurting. If you feel the pull of the Holy Spirit to make a big difference in the world, but you are unsure of what to do or where to start, here’s how you can help: join forces with Empowering Everyday Women on Dec. 1, 2020, which is GivingTuesday.

“We are gearing up to be even more generous than we were the year before on this GivingTuesday, and we’re excited about it,” said Dianna Hobbs, CEO and Founder of our Christian nonprofit headquartered in Buffalo, New York that provides clean water, clothing, food, literacy training, books, Christian and educational resources, and humanitarian aid to those in need. “Our organization’s theme for this year’s GivingTuesday is ‘Give It Away,’ because we want to motivate people to go out of their way and do their absolute best to draw from their own wellspring of blessings to be a source of blessings for others. Through this effort, we believe God will be glorified and hundreds of families will be helped.”

GivingTuesday was launched in 2012 as a simple idea: to create a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past eight years, this idea has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people and organizations to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.

Those who are interested in joining Empowering Everyday Women’s GivingTuesday movement can donate here on our website. Also, keep us with us by liking our organization’s Facebook page @EmpoweringEverydayWomenOfficial and following our Instagram @EmpoweringEverydayWomen.