by Matt Marquardt –
MASON CITY – Times are tough out there, we’ve all heard it over and over.
But it strikes closer to home when you see people in your own town inching by.
Right now, the Hoffrogge family of Mason City is staring these tough times in the face.
Mary Hoffrogge is a wife and a mom of four little girls. She contacted me and asked me to put out an SOS of sorts.
(PHOTO: Mary Hoffrogge and her husband Jeremy sit in front of their home with their four daughters: Kylie, 10; Destiny, 7; Britney, 3; and Mackenzie, 8 months.)
Right now Mary’s family is dealing with a number of issues, both financially and health-wise. Mary’s husband, Jeremy, recently lost his job and they have had issues with their bank over their home.
“It’s getting to the point where we don’t know where to turn next,” Mary said.
The Hoffrogge’s can’t afford daycare for their four girls so Mary is a stay at home mom. “I’d work at a job if I could, but it is so expensive, I would lose money,” she said.
Mary’s goal is to open a licensed, 24-hour daycare for lower income folks. She feels there is a need in the community for this service, and she could then stay with her kids and help provide for her family at the same time.
“I want to be with my kids,” she said, “and I love kids in general. And I think this kind of daycare would be a huge help to families who work long hours or overnights.”
Right now, Mary helps out a single mom when she can’t find anyone else to take in her kids. That woman drives all the way from Forest City to drop her two little girls off, then drives to Garner to work. She then drives all the way back to Mason City to pick her girls up to go home to Forest City.
“I’d like to offer a 24 hour daycare,” Mary said. “A lot of people could use that. People do work outside the 9 to 5 shift.”
The state requirements to run a licensed daycare are long (rightfully so). The state offers guidelines on how to get going with an in-home daycare. Read the state’s guidelines here.
With few resources, Mary says that fixing up her home and getting some of the necessary amenities for a great daycare are daunting.
“We need a fenced in yard, carpeting in some rooms, paint, and help with our roof,” she described. “Also just basics like diapers, napkins, those types of things.”
Mary asked if anyone out there would be willing to take a look at some of their needs, so that she might have a better chance to get licensed, her family would be most appreciative. She can be reached at 641-201-1426.
“If there’s anyone out there with advice or any type of help that can get me going in the right direction, I would be very appreciative,” Mary said. “This would help my family and other families as well.”
Watch video:
httpv://youtu.be/KCSjxSTg1ZA
poor ass bitches
I know someone in desperate need of a 24 hr daycare. There is a need for this. Glad that someone is thinking of the people with kids who don’t have traditional jobs.
It might help them financially if they quit reproducing.
Charlie Brown sucks and i would never send my kid there, i would leave my kids home alone and they would be better off. This family cares as to more about helping people than themselves is amazing i hope to see someday that they open there 24-7 day a week daycare.God bless your family for doing right
I appreciate that they need some help and have always had compassion for those less fortunate.
But I think that they need a reality check. It costs a lot to run a daycare and it doesn’t sound like they have a business plan or any assets. Also, looks like they need to check into birth control. It is not fair to those children to live like this. That’s what bothers me the most. And, if you really want to work, you can go on the sliding fee scale that United Way pays for at Charlie Brown. Don’t use the children as an excuse. Glad the man is back to work. Good luck!
My husband and I had gone through a lot of hard times and we had no family to help us. What we did was moved to states where there was work along with we worked opposite shifts and paid nothing for baby sitting. Just giving you ideas on what to do. We never waited to almost lose our home we sold it and moved.
Railing on steps and porch not up to code.
Damn shame you had to pull this article because of all the negativity. You would think people would have a little more compassion for someone asking for help.
I’d like to start my own business. I only need $100,000. I think more capital coming from other people’s donations may possibly help this business venture succeed where my last 2 business ventures failed due to a lack of personal capital. I used my own funds which were very limited but I truly believe using other people’s donations will help this one succeed.
Can you help?
NIT would gladly help you with a story. You might also try kickstarter.com … it has been used with some success here locally just recently. Call our office at 515 897 1144 if you want a story.
I could be wrong, but I think My Dreams was being sarcastic. Was NIT Staff being sarcastic too?
At the request of the family, NIT has pulled all comments from this story.
Here is an update they provided:
“Jeremy now has a job working at IMT in Garner just days after losing his job and will be working 50 hours a week. This wasn’t about a home makeover it’s about helping a family help others in need of daycare 24-7 at a cheap cost. We were just asking for a little help fixing up our home so we could get licensed and help even more familes in need. Thank you for listening.”