While out feeding one Sunday in May 2020, we met a young lady who was living under a bridge. The next Sunday, while feeding, we crossed paths again. This time, she shared that she was 5 ½ months pregnant. While we were talking, her boyfriend was also talking to Redd. He shared with Redd that they had worked to have enough money for food the next day. However, during the night, the rats had eaten the food off of their chests. They had been without food until we came out. We decided to put them in a hotel room until they could figure out what to do next.

They stayed at the hotel for about 1 ½ months. They lost the phone we had given them, so we lost touch. The mother found my number and called me in mid-August to see if we were still going to help with the baby. We had several items that had been donated, so she would be prepared for his arrival. I told her to stay in contact  and to let us know how things were progressing. She then told us that they had left the hotel because a friend was letting them stay at his apartment.

The mother sent another message in September, that said she was heading to the hospital to have the baby. The day she had the baby, she called to ask if we would come visit. Due to COVID protocols, I wasn’t sure if we could, so I told her to confirm the visitor policy. The next day, the mother called again. She was frantic, and stated that she needed a caregiver for the baby, so that he would not go into foster care. I agreed to take the baby into our home, so that he would not have to go to foster care. We did not know, at that time, why a caregiver was needed, but we headed to the hospital to sign kinship caregiver paperwork, with DSS. When we arrive the DSS worker told mom “either you tell them or I will”. The mother then told us that both she, and the baby, had tested positive for drugs. She named the baby Samuel, and we became his kinship caregivers. He has been in our care since three days of age.