A homeless woman who had been using a magnifying glass because she couldn’t afford glasses and a single father who unexpectedly took custody of four children are among hundreds of people helped through the annual Times Free Press Neediest Cases fund.
Both are clients of the Partnership for Families, Children and Adults, which each year receives assistance through the newspaper’s fund. Donations to the fund have increased consistently since 2005.
“We are very deeply grateful that, year after year, the community has stretched and given a little bit more than the year before, because the last four years have become increasingly difficult in our economics and in the number of people who need help from the Partnership,” said Sandra Hollett, chief executive officer of the agency.
Donations during the 2009 campaign hit the fund’s highest level since 2000, records show. In 2009, more than 400 donors gave $48,713, compared with $47,199 in 2008 and $42,901 in 2000.
Neediest Cases is a fund of last resort for clients of the Partnership. Many times the fund provides $50 to help pay for an electric bill or $200 to keep someone in his or her apartment, officials said.