Meg’s Story: Life Changes in a Second

Before 2020, Meg and Ken were living what felt like the ideal life. They had a nice home in the suburbs, just outside Portland, Oregon. The pet services business Ken had founded was doing well. So well, in fact, that Meg had been able to quit her job as a wedding photographer in order to be a stay-at-home mom to their kids. The family was happy, healthy, and growing.

Later that year, as the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the world like wildfire, Meg and Ken watched their perfect life go up in smoke.

“The world just shut down,” Meg recalls. Her husband’s business took a major hit: “We were living off savings for months. We prioritized the basics like mortgage and necessities, but we put aside, like, repairs to the furnace. We started trying to sell things to pay for certain expenses.”

Their ‘rainy day’ funds were quickly depleted, leaving the parents to cut costs wherever they could, and take out loans when they couldn’t. Fearing the cost of doctor’s visits, Meg and Ken delayed their own medical needs; however, they always made sure their kids were taken care of.

“One of our triplets had a lot of medical issues post-birth, so we still ended up having some medical debt,” Meg explains. “There was lots of juggling, trying to make two pennies cover two dollars, hoping for the best and planning for the worst.”

Meals consisted of mostly beans and rice. Meg and Ken had reached the point where they were cutting back on how much they ate in order to make sure their children had enough. They looked into financial aid, but found that they didn’t qualify. Then, a family friend asked Meg if she’d heard of Birch Community Services, a local partner of Feed the Children.

“We did a walkthrough, and were incredibly amazed at the opportunity,” Meg says. “I remember calling my sister and being like ‘Oh my gosh, you cannot believe this.’ And that day we took home a whole carload of groceries. I just remember being like, We’re set. We’re okay. Everything is going to be okay.”

Life returned to normal slowly – or at least, a new normal. Ken was able to launch a new business, and Meg focused on raising their children, including the medically complex triplet. The cost of childcare was prohibitive – according to one report from the US Department of Health and Human Services, care for a school-age child cost over $15,000 per year. So, Meg remained a stay-at-home mom and homeschooled in order to save money.

Today, you can still find Meg, Ken and their kids at Birch. During their time receiving assistance, the family became part of the volunteer community. It’s a role they still embrace today. Meg has never forgotten the overwhelming relief of being able to get help when her family needed it most, and says she wants to make sure those same resources are available for others.

“I want to tell all the donors thank you,” Meg says. “I would tell them, my family is a testimony to what you’ve given what you’ve invested, and it’s not going to waste.“