FORT WALTON BEACH —This year, Jennifer Hunt believes in Christmas miracles.
Thanks to Fresh Start for Children and Families, her 3-year-old daughter will get the one present she asked of Santa Claus: a pink princess bike.
“When I heard, I thanked God,” Hunt said. “I was overjoyed. All I could do was cry.”
For weeks, she was worried that Zoe wouldn’t have much of a Christmas because money was so tight. A single mom and full-time student, Hunt gets by on less than $250 a month. She lives in Section 8 housing, receives food stamps and cuts corners whenever possible.
“She’s a hard worker,” said Adrienne Carr, a caseworker at Fresh Start. “She does what she has to do to survive. ... She uses the resources out there to get what she needs to build a better life for her daughter.”
When Hunt inquired at Fresh Start about help for the holidays, Carr was happy to help. She teamed with Toys for Tots to secure the bike as well as a few other gifts.
“Fresh Start is a really good organization,” Hunt said. “They try to help as many people as they can. ... It’s not just a handout, it’s a hand up.”
Hunt, a student at Northwest Florida State College, is on track to get her bachelor’s degree in spring 2015. She then wants to earn a master’s degree in public administration.
“Zoe is the number one thing that keeps me going,” she said. “I just want to prove to myself and to Zoe that even though you have all these adversities, you can succeed.”