Read how cases are chosen, who benefits, and how to give. [more]

Five Webster Groves women have found a way to knock two things off of their holiday to-do list at once. [more]

These agencies will accept drop-offs and will also pick up your donation of furniture in good condition or appliances in working order. Please call the contact person listed to arrange for handling of your donation. [more]

Too much has gone wrong with B's children for one family to bear; all four have suffered trauma of different kinds. [more]

C is legally blind, suffers from cardiac and respiratory problems, and is raising her son and two siblings alone. [more]

N is a blind mother of two daughters, 13 and 7, whom she has adopted through her service as a foster mother. Both children were born to drug-addicted mothers, and N cared for them through their withdrawals. [more]

Barely getting by on a small, fixed income, T, 63, does her best to raise the three grandchildren who live with her. [more]

K is a cancer survivor with two children and a grandchild. K, 38, continues working full time even though chemotherapy has left her with arthritis in her feet, knees and back. She recently learned that the hair she lost from radiation and chemotherapy will never grow back. This has been hard for her to accept. [more]

S, 34, is separated from her drug addict husband, who refuses to get treatment. She lives with her mom and takes care of the couple's four children, two girls, ages 4 and 11, and two boys, ages 6 and 7. S works temporary odd jobs but has been unemployed since June and is taking some college classes. [more]

With eight grandchildren to care for, this couple is focusing less on providing toys and more on the basics. [more]

A has six children, including three who are mentally disabled, and in dire circumstances. In May, her home was broken into by a man who raped her 14-year-old daughter. The family relocated to get a fresh start, but the move took all of their savings. [more]

D has lived a lifetime of misery in her 34 years. [more]

M, 66, has been grappling with health problems for several years. She was in a serious automobile accident that left her with residual problems and has since developed multiple sclerosis. She also suffers from severe psychiatric problems. [more]

E is a mother of eight who lost four of her children in a drowning accident in July. [more]

S and F and their two children, ages 4 and 7, are a family whose lives were torn apart by Hurricane Katrina. Not only did they lose everything they owned, they also watched beloved family members drown. [more]

W is a single mother with six children, ages 4 to 18, most of whom are struggling with a variety of serious disabilities. [more]

Like many other mothers of troubled children, D is raising her two grandchildren after their mother went to jail. [more]

Maybe they pity her. A diabetic grandmother, alone, fighting to do right by a mentally retarded girl who has been abandoned by her parents. But what her neighbors and co-workers can never know is how much joy her 8-year-old granddaughter brings to her life. Still, is joy enough? Not even close. [more]

B, a single father of five, is trying to recover physically and financially from a work-related incident that almost claimed his foot. [more]

The younger of A's two children is a happy boy despite the challenges he has faced, including a heart transplant, asthma, problems with his immune system and a bad stent that was inserted during a surgery that led to complications. [more]

J, 42, knows he won't be around to see his three children grow up. He is suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease), a progressive, incurable disease that has robbed him of his ability to walk and talk and eventually will take away his ability to breathe. [more]

It's hard enough to raise six children alone when you're still under 30. But when your 8-year-old daughter is confined to a wheelchair with brittle-bone disease, it's not possible to go to work and leave the child home alone. [more]

G has only one child at home, her son, R, 17. But the household also includes six younger children, G's three grandsons and three granddaughters. They range in age from 6 months to 7 years. [more]

C is raising four of her grandchildren, including, P, 14, who has cerebral palsy. The family had to move this year to a one-floor apartment after C. fell while dragging P and her wheelchair upstairs. The kids are new to the house and the neighborhood. [more]

S was beaten and raped earlier this year by a man who murdered three other people and then killed himself. Although her ordeal was nightmarish, she's focused on taking care of her four grandchildren abandoned by a daughter who is a drug addict. [more]

W is a wheelchair-bound diabetic. That's a challenge in itself. In addition, she's raising her grandson, a 17-year-old high school student. [more]

C is a single mother raising four children, three of whom have physical or psychological disabilities. Meanwhile, she is struggling to recover from cancer treatment three years ago. [more]

Case No. 23ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig's disease, kills its victims slowly but certainly. As all physical abilities decline, it affects not only patients but their entirely families. [more]

A single mother of 11, W works hard to provide for her family, but the pay from her a job as a school bus monitor doesn't go far. [more]

It's been a tough year for E, and there doesn't seem to be an end to her troubles in sight. [more]

Do the math: B's only income for herself and her two grandchildren is a $514 Social Security check. Her monthly rent totals $473. Many things are shortchanged, heat and food chief among them. All the utility bills are past due, and B must rely on food pantries for her daily bread. Clothing? Toys? They can't even be considered. [more]

Although this deserving family will appreciate anything, new or used, this holiday season, they are in particular need of a place to live, beds, auto repair and clothing. [more]

When G's house burned last summer, her family lost most of their belongings. Now they face winter without appropriate clothing, including coats. [more]

Their cramped apartment is also home to two of Ms. O's grandchildren and her 15-year-old niece. [more]