Single mom reaches out for help

Unwrapping gifts a Christmas wish for her three kids

Leticia Mendoza, a certified nursing assistant, was laid off from her job at a nursing home just weeks before the holidays.

The single mother said one of her three boys is disabled, making it tough for her to find childcare when she goes on job interviews.

“Other than that, we’re doing good,” Mendoza said.

When she is working, she is able to schedule help to watch 11-year-old Henry, 4-year-old Noah and 3-year-old Desmond at their home in Houston’s East End.

Because she wanted something for her kids to unwrap at Christmas, she applied for help from Goodfellows, a Houston Chronicle program that provides families in need with Christmas gifts for their children.

Goodfellows, a registered nonprofit organization founded by Chronicle city editor George Kepple in 1912, distributed toys to more than 50,000 children ages 2-10 last year to brighten the holiday season for local families struggling to make ends meet.

The organization partners with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to identify recipients and depends on the generosity of donations from area companies as well as individual subscribers.

Mendoza said the boys’ father is no longer in the picture, but his mother is an immeasurable help with the kids.

“She helps a lot and picks up all the stuff that her son doesn’t do,” Mendoza said.

She said being a successful single mother takes tenacity, especially when things go badly.

After studying for her state boards to be a certified nursing assistant, she failed the test the first time.

But she went back to hit the books again and passed it on her second try.

“When you’re single, you have no choice,” she said. “Especially if you’re the only one trying to provide for your kids.”

brian.rogers@chron.com twitter.com/brianjrogers