December 25 This Christmas is approaching, and many families in the United States will face holiday difficulties. Because they are unemployed and unable to afford to buy Christmas gifts or make a decent holiday feast for their children.
According to Huffington Post, Shanita Matthews from Suwanee, Georgia, cooked a feast for a family of three: grilled chicken, grilled pork ribs, spinach, macaroni and cheese.
But for Christmas 2020, they can only eat tuna and cookies, because it is the only food she can afford in the supermarket. “I can’t have a real holiday this year,” she said. “I’ve tried my best and I’m really tired.”
Since the coronavirus hit the U.S. economy in March 2020, Matthews has lost his job at home like nearly 10 million Americans. Now, they are about to face the problem of holiday.
Because they are unemployed and have no money, they can’t buy Christmas gifts or make a decent holiday meal.
Nearly 8 million people in the U.S. have fallen into poverty since June 2020, according to research by Bruce Meyer of the University of Chicago. Congress reached an agreement this week (December 18) for a $900 billion coronavirus relief package that includes $300 a week in unemployment benefits.
But for Matthews, the government’s aid is far from enough, and since her bank balance is now negative, she worries that her account might be closed if she doesn’t get financial aid soon. Since March 2020, most people in the United States have canceled wedding ceremonies due to the epidemic, and Matthews, 41, has been struggling financially since then after being forced to close his wedding business.
The Georgia labor department refused to provide Matthews unemployment benefits, which puzzled Matthews. She appealed later, but things were slow.
Due to the inability to pay in time, Matthews’ car was reclaimed, and most of her husband’s income was used for a mortgage loan. As a result, they only have about $200 a month, including the cost of utilities, Internet bills, and necessities for their daughter to go to school.
Matthews hopes that relatives can help their daughter buy Christmas gifts. She said: “We hope there is hot food and water. These are the things we care about at present.”
The same trouble happened to Molton, a 28-year-old delivery driver who had to suspend delivery due to the damage of his car. She used part of the bank loan to repair the car, and her husband lost his job this year.
After a series of desperate things, she didn’t have enough money to buy Christmas gifts for her four children, so she asked Twitter for help.
Influencer celebrities on Twitter are donating to some people in need, and Moulton has created an account and tweeted about her. Someone called her $200 through the app and she was going to use that money for food, and another couple on Twitter created an Amazon wish list for her and then bought her children dolls, cars and other toys for Christmas gifts.
Without these donations, Moulton would have told her children that Santa Claus could not come due to epidemic prevention measures and other reasons.
Many people are in serious financial trouble, according to American charities.
According to United Way, the largest charity in the United States, the number of calls to the 211 hotline funded will reach 20 million, double that of last year. Most of the callers need help to pay rent or electricity.
