Divorced and left to care for six children, Reynelda McDonald feared eviction from her two-bedroom apartment. When the day was over, she’d find herself alone, praying for one more night with a roof over their heads. Praying there was enough gas in her car to get to work or that a tire wouldn’t go flat. Even with two jobs, the bills kept piling up. Credit cards were maxed out long ago. 

McDonald’s children breathed softly through the paper-thin walls, and she wondered where it all went. Her idyllic family life and meticulously planned future had been the center of her world. She was over 3,000 miles from home and faced a future with no support, no money, and no hope. She wondered how one woman alone could save her family. 

She needed help as a single mom. And she needed it now. She applied to Buckner Family Pathways®, a program created to support single parents with wrap-around resources to build self-suffiency and transformation for the entire family.

"It took hitting rock bottom for me to realize that this was my only option," Reynelda shared."

One of the most profound changes in her life was the sense of community she found through Buckner. “It takes a lot to get you to the point where you realize this is my only option,” she noted. “And that’s where I found a community of women who have been through similar experiences. It’s been life changing.”

The single-parent ministry in Lubbock, Texas, opened a door for Reynelda and her children beyond what she thought possible. Today, she feels a sense of safety, support and connection.

Read the impact Buckner Family Pathways® has had on the entire McDonald family in the latest Buckner Today.