For Cynthia, 2021 was going to be the year.
She had recently moved from Wisconsin to Texas for a new work opportunity, and she was in the final stages of purchasing a house for herself and her two children in her new city. As a single mother and the sole breadwinner, she was eager to close on the house that would become her family’s new home, and she had just used her emergency fund to pay off the few outstanding items before closing.
Then came the COVID-19 pandemic.
After surviving a year of shutdowns, a cross-country move, a job transition and an unexpected Southern winter storm without a hiccup, she hadn’t imagined COVID-19 would pose a problem for her health — until what she thought was a 24-hour bug left her bedridden for two and a half weeks.
“What was I going to do? I couldn’t get out of bed. I had just used all my savings. With the new COVID policies, I was going to be out for a full month, but I still had bills to pay,” she explained.
As Cynthia fought against COVID-19, she was met with a glimmer of hope when she recalled her company’s HR department talking about an emergency relief program earlier in the year. She applied, and, once approved, she was able to pay her rent, her electric bill and buy her children groceries.
“When my application was processed, I just started crying. It was a life-saving moment for me,” she said. “Applying was easier than I expected, especially for being so sick at the time.”
The emotional relief and financial support the program provided further justified her choice to uproot her family for a new company.
“When you’re working all the time and focused on paying what needs to be paid, you sometimes get wrapped up and don’t realize how quickly things can change. Having this program in place assures me that whatever it is, we can get through it,” she said.
When the unexpected strikes, timing is everything.
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to remind us all just how quickly our lives can be turned upside down. As an employer, providing an employee relief program creates peace of mind throughout the organization and allows you to respond quickly and responsibly when disasters strike.
As 2021 comes to a close, we are grateful to work with clients who understand their employees are their greatest investment. For the past 20 years, E4E Relief has offered a unique, charitable solution that allows you to support your employees when they need it most.