The holiday season is a time of family get togethers, gift giving, traveling, entertaining, and elaborate meals for many of us. It’s a time of joy, unless you are financially strapped, in which case, it can be an incredibly stressful time.

It’s autumn and the new season brings changes. Children are back in school and cool weather returns. Both of these events pose challenges to our clients.

MUM is once again holding a Non-Event Annual Fundraiser. This approach enables us to save money on party logistics and direct the funds to where they will be best used – the needs of our clients.

MUM recently received a new refrigerator so it can offer fresh produce items to our clients. This project was made possible by very generous funding from the Capital Area Food Bank, who will also source most of the produce we will distribute.

For those of us fortunate enough to have the income and resources to absorb the increased cost in utilities, the higher summer expense may be little more than a budgetary adjustment. To those living paycheck-to-paycheck that increase can mean a utility shutoff at the worst possible time. It can also mean having to make difficult choices between food, medicine, and keeping the electricity on.