The Enquirer and United Way of Greater Cincinnati have joined forces for the 35th year to help families in need with the Wish List program. This is the fourth of eight stories that will run this month.
When Natasha Ison moved her family into the Gardens at Greenup apartment complex in Covington last year, she saw it as an important step in her journey to become self-sufficient.
After all, she had lived there as a child, and she knew her mother benefited from the supportive environment. “They helped my mom out a lot. She was a recovering drug addict,” says Natasha, a 30-year-old single mother of two boys.
Welcome House of Northern Kentucky, an agency that works to end homelessness and promote housing stability for families, owns Gardens of Greenup. In addition to subsidized apartments, the Gardens offers residents on-site support that can include education and career planning, financial literacy and life-skills training.
Natasha has experience working at a daycare facility, but when she discovered her real passion is cooking, Welcome House staff helped her enroll in Cincinnati Cooks. Natasha hopes the 10-week culinary job training program, which is run by the Freestore Foodbank, eventually leads to additional training, a culinary arts degree and a career as a private chef.
Natasha’s mother strongly encouraged her to pursue that dream. But when her mother died this past September from a heart attack, a devastated Natasha temporarily stepped away from classes.
“It’s been a struggle,” Natasha says. “She was our biggest supporter.”
She was a supportive presence for Natasha and for her sons, Nayshawn, 11, and Mark, 6. Mark, who was born prematurely, has a chronic lung disease and a learning disability.
The loss also was felt by Natasha’s sister, Latasha, and her five children, who range in age from 2 to 14. They, too, live at the Gardens.
Natasha and Latasha have always been close, but even more so since the death of their mother. “We lean on each other for help and support,” Natasha says. She cooks for both families, and when her sister goes to work, she helps her nieces and nephews get ready for school or daycare.
Natasha also does the laundry for both families. When her mother was living, she babysat on laundry days. “Now we have to pack up all the kids to go to the laundromat. It’s frustrating because nobody will watch them.”
Those trips are expensive. “I spend a whole lot of money at the laundromat,” Natasha says. One of her wishes is for a washer and dryer, which would alleviate a burden and help her save money.
The family also needs bedroom items: a mattress and box springs to replace Natasha’s worn-out set; and comforters and sheets for her and the boys.
Lastly, the aspiring chef, who has resumed classes at Cincinnati Cooks, hopes for items she will use every day: pots and pans, as well as food-storage products so the food she prepares for her family will stay fresh.
NATASHA’S WISH: Washer/dryer; pots, pans and food-storage products; bed and box springs; comforters and sheets.
ESTIMATED COST: $2,670
How to help
Donations can be made online at www.uwgc.org/wishlist. You can also mail donations to: UWGC, Attn: Wish List, P.O. Box 632711, Cincinnati, OH 45263-2711
John Johnston is the content writer at United Way and a former Enquirer reporter.
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