Thanks to a little help from a lot of people, two North Texas families will get a big gift Christmas morning: a home to help them get through some tough times.
For the second year, NBC 5 has partnered with the Omni Dallas Hotel, Soupmobile, Kroger and Matthews Southwest to provide a “Home for the Holidays.”
For the last month people across North Texas have each been donating $12 in an effort to furnish and pay for apartments for those families for an entire year.
One of the recipient families is Clara Ramirez and her two daughters who have seen some rough times over the past few years.
Ramirez found herself stuck in a marriage that she said had long been growing more and more abusive. When that abuse got physical and began to target her girls, she says she took the girls and ran away.
But then they were left with an uncertain future.
"Now what?" Ramirez said. "No job, no money, no work experience."
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
The mother and daughters moved into a shelter where they've been living as they work towards a better life.
Ramirez has finally gotten into a steady career with teaching, but she is still struggling to get all of her certifications to better provide for her girls.
Ed Netzhammer, Omni's regional vice president, selected them as one of the families, so that Ramirez can use the money she'd have to spend on rent and utilities to instead work toward her career and stability for her family.
"When they told me, 'Yes, they're going to pay your rent for a year,' I cry a little bit," she said. "It's an amazing opportunity for me to continue with the plans. This year I've been doing a lot, but there's a lot to accomplish."
There's still time to donate to the cause and help these families toward a better life. Please visit SoupMobile.org to read their stories and donate $12 to help give "A Home for the Holidays."
