Ed. Note: The following article is a news release provided by Single Mothers Outreach.

Crossroads Community Church and Single Mothers Outreach recently gifted a car to a financial training graduate for Christmas.

Single Mothers Outreach, or SMO, wondered how to choose someone from the nearly 250 families the organization serves.

Because a car is a significant expense, SMO decided that its search would be narrowed down to financial training graduates.

Kristin Drucker, financial training coordinator for SMO, recently conducted a survey on how much graduates had saved and paid down on their debt.

She also asked what turned out to be a significant question: “currently, what is your biggest area of concern.”

Two parents listed transportation as their biggest challenge and also indicated that they borrow a car from friends or family members.

Of the two, one indicated she had saved $800 and paid off $350. She had also taken another financial training class that teaches parents how to teach their children about money. SMO then knew that they had found the right person.

When the mom arrived to pick up her “adopt-a-family” gifts with her daughter, SMO invited the daughter to help distribute gifts while staff took the mom to another room to ask if she would like a car for Christmas.

Carolyn Olsen shared later, “after we told her about the car she began shaking and crying.”

When the mom collected her child and her gifts, we overheard her say to her daughter, “I have good news to share.”

“It is parents like this who deserve our generosity,” Executive Director DaAnne Smith said. “Our staff is proud to serve as a bridge between citizens who want to make a difference and hard-working single parents who need our help so they can become self-sustaining. We want to thank the whole Crossroads Church community for their generosity. Our mission is to help more single parents to become independent and currently have our annual gift giving campaign.”

Residents can help by donating via SMO’s website.