Family n Need w hands lifted high

Friend of the family needs our help to provide a proper first birthday for his youngest daughter and Christmas gifts this year for her and her oldest sister. My heart breaks for him as he struggles to provide even the basic needs for his family. So I decided to create this page in hopes of helping his family and him have a happy holiday instead of heartbreak this season. I hope no one experiences a layoff while approaching the holidays. He was not given advanced notice of layoff, as some employers do. This father and husband has spent everyday pounding the pavement and ringing the phones of every meaningful employer since his layoff. In addition to providing for his family's day to day needs he has also opened his home to his young step nephew who was recently displaced due to neglect by his mother. DCFS placed the boy with immediate family member who themselves are struggling to keep things going. He is providing part-time daycare so that the primary can continue to work and support the situation on their end. It has been shared to me that local services are depleted and all friends and family have said, more less, we'd like to help you but were broke due to the holidays. This father is broken emotionally because he can't provide a proper first birthday for his youngest child and Christmas isn't looking very promising either. Due to the timing of the layoff, charity organizations, sign updeadlines, for Christmas gifts, have all passed. Most of those deadlines were late October early November. This father has fought to get custody of his oldest daughter from his ex wife that dropped the girl off at grandmother's house 3 years ago and never cared enough to come back to get her. That little girl has been through a great deal of pain through these last few years. To say this father is broken down by the very real and present fact of being unable to provide the holidays and first birthday for his youngest child and family in general, would be a gross understatement. I see the pain in his eyes and I can hear the broken expression in his voice as he has shared his troubles with me. You can only tell someone so many times to keep the faith and keep their head up before you have to take your hand into theirs and say I've got your back man.

I thank you all in advance for your thoughts.