Jala: Chef, Business Owner, Mom
It was 2022. I had just moved from my home in the Bronx to Virginia to launch my own catering business. I was a single mom of a beautiful daughter, and my dream career was starting to take off. Then I found out I was pregnant. The father was not someone I wanted to be in the lives of my daughters, and I didn't know what to do.
I couldn't see a way to continue running my business and single parenting on top of a new baby. Everything I had worked for felt jeopardized.
But at the same time, I didn’t want to let go of my baby. When I called a crisis line to process my situation, the woman on the other end said that she wasn't going to tell me what to do but she noticed that I kept talking about “my baby.” Not “it” or “the baby” but “my baby.”
After that call, I Googled “free support for women” and found Avail. The first advocate I talked to there made me feel so comfortable. She said that they would support me whatever I chose to do, and I remember thinking, You've already decided. This is your baby. You're going to do this. You'll figure it out.
Avail: With Me from Afar
So I threw myself into everything that Avail had to offer. I took classes on breastfeeding, postpartum depression, and bringing home a newborn. From those classes I earned points and got maternity clothes and months’ worth of diapers. I also got to meet with Avail's financial coach who ran free financial workshops and helped me improve my resume.
Even though I had my second daughter in Virginia, Avail stayed with me from afar. Almost two years later, I still sometimes join the weekly meetups on Zoom where moms can come and discuss whatever’s on their mind. Last week, we shared potty training tips. And just this month I qualified for rent assistance from Avail, which is huge. As a self-employed single mom of two, money is always tight. But Avail makes it easier.
A Resilient Life
Sometimes when I feel down on myself for not being everything I want to be—as a mom, a business owner, a person in general—I take a step back and look at everything I've gone through to get to this place.
Thinking back to where I started, I can see my resilience and my tenacity. I never gave up. And I want to instill that drive—and that grace for myself—in my daughters.
My second daughter is almost two now and she and her sister are thriving here in Virginia. We have a little garden behind our apartment, and they love helping me with my business. My older daughter is already an entrepreneur and my best saleswoman, and my younger daughter is my most excited taste-tester and always wants to help me cook.
“Avail played a huge role in where I’m at now. From referrals to churches to the rent assistance, my experience with them has been everything to me. Overall the Avail umbrella has been amazing. ”
When you support Avail, you’re helping women find ways to be moms and fulfill their dreams.