York County mother of 4 grateful for Holiday Partners’ donors

Many times a tip is an afterthought. You toss a few bills on the table at the end of a meal or add a few dollars to the receipt before signing your name. For Samantha Edwards, 33, that tip may determine whether she eats dinner that night or goes to bed hungry.

The single mother of four has waited tables for 14 years and is good at her job. She enjoys serving others but says it has become harder to depend on her job for a steady income.

“Tips have become unpredictable. I used to be able to estimate what I would be taking home at the end of the day. Now, I have no idea,” she said.

Servers are less than minimum wage, with the understanding customers’ tips will make up the difference. When a customer doesn’t tip, Edwards and her children go without.

Several times she has tried to go back to school in hopes of securing a higher paying job but found it too difficult to juggle children, work and homework.

When her children grow a little older, she says she will return to the classroom.

Right now, she works hard just to keep up with her bills. There is nothing left for Christmas presents.

Edwards and other parents are grateful for the United Way’s Holiday Partners Program. Together with WRHI’s Toys for Happiness Program and the Rock Hill Herald’s Empty Stocking Fund, Holiday Partner’s Program will provide Christmas gifts for more than 2,000 York County children who otherwise would wake up to no presents under the tree on Christmas morning.

Herald readers are encouraged to donate to the Empty Stocking Fund to enable the Holiday Partner’s Program to supplement the donated toys and ensure each child gets at least one gift on their wish list.

Edwards’ 10-year-old daughter, a shark lover, would like anything related to the sea creatures. Her 4-year-old daughter would like a Barbie, and her 3-year-old son would like a Paw Patrol toy and cars.

“He is a car fanatic,” Edwards said.

She says her baby, a 1-year-old girl, would be happy with anything.

She’s hoping for better times next year, but until then, she wants folks to know how much their contributions mean to her and her family this holiday season.

“I’ve never struggled this hard before, and I’ve never had to ask for help like this. But it is wonderful to know there are people out there who care,” Edwards said. “Thanks to the Holiday Partners Program, my kids will have presents to open Christmas morning.”

This story was originally published December 16, 2017 at 1:41 PM with the headline "York County mother of 4 grateful for Holiday Partners’ donors."