Helping a Mother at the Store Brought an Unexpected Follow-Up

I’m 43, working early mornings at a small grocery store, holding my family together one shift at a time. Life isn’t glamorous, but it’s steady enough to keep the lights on and give my daughter Maddie a shot at the future she dreams about. My husband, Dan, spends long days fixing whatever breaks at the community center, coming home exhausted but loving. We stretch every paycheck, save every dollar, and hope it’s enough to get Maddie into the universities she whispers about at night.