(not being critical; just don't get it) will someone please explain to me why all the fundraising events?
what is the money being raised for? I have not seen the reward money increased, so where is it going and for what purpose?
I know the FBI provides counseling for the family now and also for when the girl do come home, so it can't be that? The FBI also provides any necessary medical care.
thank you
Well, let's see.
Drew Collins took three weeks off work and then had to go back on part time. While he owns his own business, that means either turning down business or paying someone else to do the work. Paying yourself for hours you didn't work is one of the commonest reasons most small businesses fail in the first 5 years; since he's been in business so long, I'm reasonably certain he has avoided that little temptation.
While all this is going on, the banks would still want their mortgage and any other loan payments on time. Back in the good old days when you knew the bank you got your mortgage from was the bank that held it, when something like this came up, it was easy to get understanding and an extension from the bank. The banker, after all, was part of your community and had to face the local community too.
Nowadays, things are different. Your mortgage may have passed through half a dozen different entities and they don't care about you personally. They just want the money you are contractually obligated to send them on a certain date. Any late payments go right onto your record and impact your credit score.
MCM and DM don't appear to have much money at all; they are both living with their respective mothers. DM is probably unemployable at this point due to his upcoming trial. That doesn't mean that their living expenses magically evaporate.
When a loved one is missing, all sorts of small expenses come up to zing you. Gasoline because you're driving all over. Food expenses go up because you're eating on the go more often and you don't have time to sit down and plan out how to surf the weekly sales.
Cell phone bills go through the roof.
If you don't have time or energy to do laundry, then you have to pay someone to do it.
Stress means that everyone is more likely to catch whatever bugs are going around.
When my service dog disappeared for 10 days, the expenses of the search were over $7000. That was for a disappearance that lasted only 10 days!
Does the FBI provide any necessary medical care? I'd be surprised if they provide more than emergency medical care. Do you have a link for that?
While many businesses are donating goods or services, especially early in a disappearance, after awhile, those businesses have to start charging. Just printing up flyers can be a major expense.
I see people questioning why families need to do fundraisers in case after case and I wonder: am I the only person on WS whose financial resources are limited? I have enough in savings to tide me over for 3 months of ordinary expenses and that's it (in part due to regulations about how much money I can have in savings before it impacts my benefits; there is a definite bias in government regulations to discourage people from saving).
The vast majority of families in this country are living paycheck to paycheck or, at best, are only 3-6 months away from insolvency.