CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The rise in inflation has affected many in the Coastal Bend, including students. Now, some parents are using social media to help raise funds.
Facebook is a great way to reconnect with friends, and for some parents, it's become a place to create fundraisers. The purpose is to raise funds that will be used to pay for their kids' extracurricular activities.
"It's been rough, rough, rough," single mother of three Sandy Molina said.
She told KRIS 6 News just for the year for her daughter to take part in cheerleading at Moody High School costs her about $2,600. Although there are payment plans, it still adds up.
"I know I was making on-time payments for the first couple of months when we first started, and then we fell a little bit short because I live paycheck to paycheck," she said.
Although she lives with her mother, and they help each other out with the bills, they still have to find a way to make ends meet. Molina said that she has even had to take out loans to be able to complete some payments.
But Molina had an idea — she decided to turn to Facebook to sell her menudo, a type of traditional Mexican-style soup.
"Our first menudo, we didn't make a killing on it. But we did get about $500 from the menudo sale," she said.
She and her family even helped out her daughter's friend to raise money to finish paying for the rest of the uniforms.
Molina added that not only do they have to worry about covering for the year they also have to come up with money for competitions or even traveling expenses.
"She went to camp, made it for All-American cheerleader, got nominated, and decided to go perform at the Pearl Harbor parade. That trip is where I really had to fundraise to basically send her and me to go that way," Molina said.
That trip will cost roughly $5,000— she and her family have been fundraising since July and have to finish paying it before October 21.
She said she understands all the parents that are trying their best to make ends meet.
"Don't be afraid to put yourself out there; put the flyers out. Keep on pushing, get your family involved, get friends involved, just keep on pushing. It will happen," she said.
For more information on how you can contact her for some menudo, click below.
The fundraising will continue for Molina as she continues to collect money for her daughter's trip to Hawaii in December. Click here if you would like to donate.
