Season of Sharing helps keep family afloat when injury strikes

Season of Sharing helps keep family afloat when injury strikes

At some point while riding his board, the 31-year-old Livermore dad slipped backward and threw out his right hand to catch himself, bending his thumb backward in an unnatural way.

Espinoza applied for disability and unemployment benefits, but didn’t initially get anything.

The Espinozas quickly got behind on bills for their rent, braces and medical expenses for the boys, and other payments.

Elaine Espinoza, a stay-at-home mom, said she considered going back to work, but it would have meant being away from her children, something she didn’t want.

[...] she said, with her husband’s schedule always changing, relying on someone else to watch the kids and take them to after-school activities at a moment’s notice would have been nearly impossible.

The Espinozas, who met in middle school and started dating in high school, had always lived in Livermore.

[...] their apartment manager was understanding and directed them to The Chronicle’s Season of Sharing Fund, Elaine Espinoza said.

When single-earner households subsist paycheck to paycheck, even the smallest interruption in their income stream can wreak devastation, he said.

Money from the Season of Sharing helped the Espinozas get fully caught up on their rent, giving them some financial leeway to begin paying off other bills.

[...] accepting help after a lifetime of self-reliance wasn’t easy, and the couple didn’t want their friends or relatives to know they needed assistance.