MAKE A DIFFERENCE: CARE & SHARE OF EAST LYME

WHO: Michele, 49, and Allen, 42, and their four teenage children, ages 13 to 18; as well as Michele's mother, Roxanne, who is 87.

AGENCY: Care & Share of East Lyme

THEIR SITUATION: Allen has struggled with PTSD and bipolar disorder for years and has recently undergone several surgeries for other health issues. He is trying to regain his strength and hopes to go back to work in the spring. Michele stays at home caring for her mother, who has advancing dementia. Their vehicle is old and unreliable. The children are in school, and one starts college in January.  Though the family income is very low, Michele is grateful for what they do have, including good schools and a roof over their heads. What is hard, she says, is knowing how much the children are missing.

WHAT TO GIVE: LEGO sets, gift cards for Xbox games, gift card for books, Dunkin Donuts gift card, canvases for painting in acrylics, anything Xbox, movie passes, gift card to American Eagle, size M men's pajamas. Easy memory game, large building blocks, soft women's PJs size L, gas card, movie passes. Gift card for paint for teen bedroom.

TO DONATE: Checks or gift cards may be mailed to Care & Share of East Lyme, att: Norman Bender, president, P.O. Box 114, East Lyme CT 06333. Or call (860) 739-8502.