HOW TO HELP
The Neediest Cases Fund, started by the Chattanooga Times in 1914, annually asks readers to donate money to help people in the area. The fund partners with the United Way of Greater Chattanooga to allocate the money raised to help specific families in need. To make a tax-deductible donation, call 423-757-6208, visit https://www.timesfreepress.com/neediestcases or clip the coupon in the Region section of today’s newspaper and mail it with your check.
No one deserves to bury two children, but that was Margaret Cone’s lot in life.
On April 5, her son, Rick Penley, “passed away quietly,” his obituary said. Another son, Michael Wayne Penley, had died some years ago.
For whatever reason, although her son had an ex-wife and two children, Cone had to absorb the expenses of her son’s funeral. Subsisting only on Social Security after more than 20 years of service as a secretary with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, she turned to the office of U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, which, in turn, referred her to United Way of Greater Chattanooga’s 2-1-1, an information line that connects people to services to help meet their needs.
The 2-1-1 service then tapped the Neediest Cases Fund of the Chattanooga Times Free Press, which contributed $300 toward funeral costs.