RHMF and the Crisis Compassion Fund

Recently, Rachel’s mom, Jane, handed me an article written by Reverend Isabel Steilberg of St. Paul’s Episcopal church (both pictured here).  In that Daily Press article, Rev. Steilberg began by sympathetically detailing the plight of poor single mothers living life on the razor’s edge.  Reading on, I emotionally recalled Rachel’s  passionate response to Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickled and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America. 

Rachel understood well that one single event, like a car breaking down, could drive a struggling single mother to crisis and disaster.  Rev. Steilberg discussed the issue in the context of her work with the Crisis Compassion Fund, a vehicle designed to assist those, mostly single mothers, who are but one narrow step away from eviction or some other calamity.  She bemoaned the difficult but important work of acting as gatekeeper to the Fund, performing due diligence to separate honest need from graft.  Our interest piqued, we both wanted to meet the good Reverend.

In late July, Jane and I visited St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Newport News.  With a hauntingly beautiful depression-era Tiffany stained glass window defining the chancel behind us, we spoke with Isabel Steilberg for about and hour and a half.  I understood soon after our discussion began that we could have an outsized impact here.  The church, through its Crisis Compassion Fund, distributes approximately $1200 each month to needy recipients.  Each Monday with a volunteer assistant, Rev. Steilberg approves distribution of fund monies to four financially struggling persons, usually women, usually single mothers.

The meager but desperately needed resources might help that person pay the electricity bill to avoid a power shut-off or even help with rent to stave off an eviction for one more month.  The Crisis Compassion Fund is a line item in the church’s budget, and under such a construct, donations to it are protected and must stay within the fund.  Satisfied that 100% of any donation from the Rachel Harrell Memorial Fund (RHMF) would go directly to those in need, I recently requested that the Community Foundation of Northern Virginia (CFNOVA) issue a $5000 grant to the Crisis Compassion Fund from the RHMF.  (To learn about the role CFNOVA plays supporting the RHMF, click “About”).  I look forward to hearing about how our contribution helps those truly in need.

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