If you are a single mother who is struggling financially, there are many popular charities that can help you cover your bills.
These include national and local charities. They include community action agencies, food pantries, the American Red Cross, Modest Needs, Life of a Single Mom, Bridge of Hope, Helping Hands for Single Moms, Parents Without Partners, Catholic Charities, Fellowship Housing, Feeding America, and the Salvation Army.
You can get direct and indirect help with your important bills from any of these organizations, as well as other local organizations specific to your community.
Local Community Action Agencies
In some cities, there are community action groups that can assist single moms in paying their bills. The type of help that they can give varies from place to place, but it is worth checking out what kind of support groups are available in your town.
++ Popular grants for women
- $5,000 Doris Day foundation grant
- $15,000 Patagonia Grant
- $2,500 Zach Grant
- $700 Target Field Trip Grant
- $25,000 Ben & Jerry’s Social Change Grant Program
- $1,000 Pollination Project Seed Grant
- $10,000 Saucony Run for Good Grant
- $35,000 W. Eugene Smith Photography Grant
- $2,000 Whole Kids Garden Grant Program
- $20,000 Dizzy Feet Foundation Dance Grant
Food Pantries
There are many food pantry organizations that distribute food to the needy. There are many different charity and non-profit organizations that operate centers that distribute things like groceries, toiletries, canned food, and other essential items, all for no cost.
You can use the website foodpantries.org to find a food bank near you.
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross was founded in 1881 by Clara Barton based on her experiences with helping wounded soldiers during the American Civil War. Since their founding, they have been one of the most consistent and helpful aid organizations in American history.
This is an organization that is famous for providing national and international relief for a variety of disasters, including personal disasters such as fires in private residences.
If any single mother needs help because their living situation is unstable, the American Red Cross can help them with things like finding a safe place to sleep, providing food and water, assisting with health care, mental health support, child care, laundry, and even finding resources for disaster relief.
Anyone who has been affected by disaster can find help with the American Red Cross. You can find information on the American Red Cross website about the support they have available in your area.
Modest Needs
There are many families out there who live just above the poverty line and are therefore ineligible to apply for assistance from the government. Modest Needs exists to help these families. They apply short term grants to help these families pay off their debts. These grants are sent directly to creditors on behalf of the families.
Modest Needs can help single mothers with bills such as: regular monthly bills, healthcare, funeral expenses, household appliances, and irregular monthly bills like home and vehicle repairs.
As with other popular charities that help single mothers with bills, the eligibility requirements for Modest Needs depend on the area that you live in. Generally speaking, all applicants must be employed and living off of a low income as defined by the median income in the area that they live in.
Additionally, your household needs to have at least one active bank account and to have filed a tax return in the last two years. You will also probably have to have access to a scanner or a fax machine so that you can scan and upload the documentation that will support your application.
You can visit ModestNeeds.org to get started.
Life of a Single Mom
Life of a Single Mom is an organization whose mission is to uplift and help educate single mothers in the topics of parenting, health, and finance. They provide these services through support groups and educational workshops, to help single moms get back on their feet.
Life of a Single Mom does not offer any direct financial assistance to single mothers. However, they do offer programs and resources that single mothers can use to help find the financial assistance that they need. The only eligibility requirement for getting help from this organization is that you have to be a single mother.
You can get started by visiting thelifeofasinglemom.com and viewing the information on the programs that they offer.
Helping Hands for Single Moms
Helping Hands is an organization that provides funding, scholarships, and counseling for single mothers who have decided to return to school even after they have children. This organization serves much of the southwest United States and was founded by Chris Hoffman to help low income single mothers get the college degrees they aspire to hold.
Helping Hands also offers other resources, such as career guidance and support group.
Bridge of Hope
Bridge of Hope’s main priority is helping the homeless. They work with churches and other religious organizations to help prevent evictions and foreclosures amongst families. The Bridge of Hope Neighborhood of Support is intended to be a long term solution to homelessness that lasts somewhere between a year and a half to two years.
This is meant to give families enough time and opportunity to prepare for long term change. The eligibility requirements vary by location, but you usually have to be either homeless or close to eviction.
Bridge of Hope is headquartered in Pennsylvania, but this is a corporate office that does not render service to those in need. They operate in thirteen states including:
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- Maryland
- Virginia
- Georgia
- Florida
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Colorado
- Texas
- California
You can find more information about getting in touch with the Bridge of Hope location closest to you by visiting bridgeofhopeinc.org. If there is not a location close to you, you can still find information about how to get in touch with similar charities in your area.
Parents Without Partners
Parents Without Partners is an organization that helps single parents get back on their feet by helping them develop more confidence, grow as individuals, and be more conscious towards the world around them.
This is a support group where parents can become friends and share their techniques in a safe space. This is an opportunity for parents to meet others like them and develop a sense of community to reduce their loneliness.
Fellowship Housing
Fellowship Housing is a program that can help struggling single mothers who are facing the threat of foreclosure or eviction. Fellowship Housing is based in Chicago, but there are similar programs that can be found across the country.
Catholic Charities
Catholic Charities is a charity network that is located in Virginia. Their work helps to provide for people in need, eradicate poverty, and make it easier for people to become more self-reliant. Every single year this group offers services such as counseling, housing, nutritional support, disaster relief, and healthcare to millions of people in America.
Catholic Charities was originally created back in 1910 and was revived with a new focus on lowering the poverty rate in America back in 2007. They continue to help millions of people in poverty, regardless of religious belief.
Each individual location has their own eligibility requirements, but people are usually required to be on some sort of public assistance, such as Medicaid, in order to apply. In some cases, your household income has to be less than 60% of the Housing and Urban Development median income level for your area.
They have several food pantries that they operate, which lets them distribute meals to those in need. Depending on what other needs that you have, they might also be able to help you with buying prescription medication, childcare costs, rent, and utility bills. You can find out more information about them by visiting their website.
Feeding America
Formerly known as Second Harvest, Feeding America is a large network of hunger relief organizations across the United States. Their mission is to fight hunger in America by establishing and maintaining partnerships with a variety of food banks across the country.
They work with national and regional food support programs so that they can provide hot meals and nutritious food to people in need. They also work to provide safe environments for hungry children, support disaster relief efforts, and help adults achieve the self-sufficiency they need in order to feed themselves.
If you are a single mother, you and your children can get healthy meals at their centers. You can find out more information by visiting their website.
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is one of the most famous charity organizations in the world. Their mission is to provide short term support for families in need so that they can become self-sufficient on their own. Every year they support tens of millions of people.
The Salvation Army was founded in 1865 and they are an international organization that has operations in over 130 different countries.
The Salvation Army sometimes provides different services to communities in different cities. Sometimes these services include rental assistance, food pantries, assistance paying bills, back to school items, and Christmas gifts. In other instances, the assistance can include things like thrift stores, clothing, and seasonal programs.
The Salvation Army has limited resources compared to some other charities, so there are often very specific eligibility requirements that must be met in order to use their services.
In times of crisis, they will help people from almost any race, background, religion, age, or lifestyle. However, every location has their own specific eligibility requirements, so you will have to contact your nearest office to find out if you qualify.
You can get started by visiting The Salvation Army and entering your zip code. The level of assistance that you get will be based on your level of need and the funds that are available.
How to Find Other Charities for Single Moms
These are some of the most popular charities that help single moms pay their bills and other expenses. There are still other options out there though. For example, there might be a local charity that only services your town. If you want to find other resources to help pay your bills, you can try some of these ideas.
Search the Internet
The easiest option that you can try is to do a simple google search of “charities that help single moms with bills near me”, and enter the name of the town that you live in. This will show you resources that are available near you.
Get in Touch with Your Local United Way Chapter
Your local United Way 211 Chapter will help you get in touch with charities in your area that can help you with financial assistance. They can also make it easier for you to save money to pay your bills by helping you with things like meals, shelter, and finding opportunities for employment.
You can find out more about your local United Way chapter by visiting unitedway.org.
Find a Church in Your Area
There are churches in your area that help single mothers. Your local church will usually hold food and clothing drives, and they might even offer shelter or transportation for single moms and their kids.
Even if they do not offer direct financial assistance with paying your bills, these programs can help you save money that you can then use to pay your other bills.
Look For Local Organizations
Depending on where you live, there are probably lots of local organizations in your community that exist to help single mothers pay their bills.
Most communities have their own local food bank. This can help you save money on other bills. Most communities also have several other local charities that can help you with other specific needs such as housing, child care, utility bills, or other needs that you have.
Final Thoughts
Being a single mother is hard. It is very difficult to raise a family on just one income. Fortunately, there are options out there that you can turn to for help to make ends meet.
If you are a single mother who needs help paying her bills, there are lots of local and national charities that you can turn to for assistance. Some of these organizations will offer direct financial assistance, others will offer indirect aid that will help to alleviate your financial burden. Do not give up hope, help is out there.
Learn more about Grants and Government Assistance Programs for Single Mothers.
++ Popular grants for Single Mothers
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- Local Church Assistance Programs for Single Mothers
- How to Apply for FAFSA as a Single Mother
- Help For Single Mothers with No Health Insurance
- Education and College Grants for Single Mothers
- How to Get Help With Bills for Single Mothers
- Medical Bills Assistance Programs for Single Mothers