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Neediest Cases Fund helps agencies assist Chattanooga area residents

Mary Ellen Galloway, excutive director of Family Promise of Greater Chattanooga, talks about the need for Neediest Cases help for local residents at the offices on Baldwin Street.
Mary Ellen Galloway, excutive director of Family Promise of Greater Chattanooga, talks about the need for Neediest Cases help for local residents at the offices on Baldwin Street. Mary Ellen Galloway, excutive director of Family Promise of Greater Chattanooga, talks about the need for Neediest Cases help for local residents at the offices on Baldwin Street.

By Yolanda Putman 3 min read

Tamara Stoudemire wants to get off government assistance, and she has a plan to do it.

The 28-year-old pregnant mother of three enrolled in school to become a certified nursing assistant with the hope that her CNA license guarantees she can always get a job.

“I was trying to get some type of certification under my belt where I knew there was always going to be high demand and I could always care for my children on my own,” Stoudemire said.

She earned money doing hair to pay most of the $800 fee for the certification, but when she came up short for the last $243 needed to complete payment and get the certification, she went to Olivet Baptist Church for help.

Olivet called the United Way of Greater Chattanooga, which manages funds for the Neediest Cases Fund. The charity gave her a check for the remaining $243 that day.