by: WFLA/CNN Newsource
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GREENACRES, Fla. (WFLA/CNN Newsource) – A single mother of four in Florida says her children’s lemonade stand is the family’s only source of income.
Erin Bailey’s kids are between the ages of 6 and 10.
“We are the best team in the world. That’s for sure,” Bailey said.
Every day, that team heads to the curb along Jog Road in Greenacres and does what American children have been doing for generations: setting up a lemonade stand.
The kids, and sometimes their friends, have been setting up the stand for months.
“They wanted to save up money for certain toys and things that they wanted,” Bailey said.
But the pandemic changed everything.
Bailey had been running a lawn care business, but customers stopped calling.
She couldn’t find a new job, because with schools closed, there was nobody to watch the kids.
No, the lemonade stand has become Bailey’s only source of income.
“We started selling the lemonade to make sure we have what we need each day,” she said.
They don’t make a lot of money and Bailey said her savings have vanished. She’s now way behind on her bills and rent.
“To know that there’s a chance that they wouldn’t have a place to call home, it’s terrifying.”
She applied for assistance from the state and county, but hasn’t gotten anywhere.
Bailey said she feels like she’s failing as a mother.
“You reach a point where you feel like you’re almost feel like you ran out of options, and you’re letting them down,” she said.
Bailey made it clear she doesn’t want a handout, she just wants a chance, a job and a way to care for the four most important people in her world.
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