Five children were left waiting at a day care late on Friday night, May 9, 2025, in Cobb County, Georgia. Their parents, Marcus and Danielle, had both been arrested within the same week for driving with suspended licenses. Danielle was jailed first on charges related to traffic violations. Later that week, Marcus was arrested while driving the family’s car, which also lacked current registration. The family’s struggles with older and unreliable vehicles, combined with homelessness and the constant pressure of deciding which bills to pay, had made it impossible to resolve the issue.
By that Friday night, both parents were incarcerated, and the children had no one to pick them up from day care.
When the day care realized the children could not be picked up, staff contacted child protective services (CPS). The CPS investigator attempted to reach relatives, friends and contacts. When no one could be located, she turned to Hannah, who was listed as an emergency contact at the day care. Hannah lived in the same extended-stay motel as the family. She did not know Marcus and Danielle well, but her children often played with theirs outside the motel. She was already raising four children of her own in one motel room with two beds, no car and limited food. Still, having experienced foster care herself, she understood the trauma of separation. She agreed to take the five siblings temporarily, but only if she had help with food and supplies for the children.
At 9 p.m. that Friday evening, a CPS investigator contacted us at Together with Families. She explained that CPS was already familiar with the family, who had been experiencing homelessness for the past two years. Although there had been a prior investigation related to their instability, no safety risks were identified. The investigator reported that day care staff had also confirmed the same earlier that evening, noting that the children were consistently well cared for despite the family’s difficult circumstances. She emphasized that she did not want to place the siblings into foster care. Instead, she proposed a temporary safety plan that would allow the children to remain with Hannah through the weekend, provided that we could supply food, bedding and other essentials until Marcus and Danielle could be released from jail the following week.
That night, Hannah welcomed five additional children into her motel room. We knew this arrangement could not last beyond a few days. On the morning of Saturday, May 10, with the family’s permission, we launched an emergency fundraiser through our donor platform. We shared their situation publicly, protecting everyone’s identity while making the need clear. That same morning, we provided Hannah with a $200 Walmart gift card so she could purchase groceries for her four children and the additional five siblings now in her care.
Saturday evening, one of our restaurant partners delivered pizzas to the motel so Hannah would not have to worry about preparing food in such a limited space. Our team also brought supplies from the family resource center, including blankets, pillows, clothing, shoes, baby items, additional food, cleaning and hygiene products, and toys.
By Sunday evening, May 11, donors had contributed over $1,000 through our fundraising campaign for the family. By the end of the week, contributions had surpassed $2,000, with additional support arriving in the form of gift cards and supplies delivered to our family resource center and donations purchased from our online wishlist.
Hannah did her best to manage the situation. During the day, Hannah kept the children outside as much as possible to ease the strain of so many young children in one motel room. At night, the nine children, hers and theirs, curled up together on mattresses and blankets spread across the motel floor.
On Monday, May 12, our team used $800 of the donor contributions to provide a Visa gift card to Hannah to post bail for Marcus, whose bond was significantly lower than Danielle’s. Later that afternoon, Marcus was released from jail and reunited with his children at the motel.
The challenges, however, did not end with his release. During Marcus’ arrest, the family’s car had been impounded. Without transportation, he could not return to work. The impound fees, combined with required car insurance, totaled more than $900. Working quickly, donor funds were used to cover the impound fees, insurance and gas cards. By the end of that week, Marcus once again had a working car and a way to provide for his family.
In the weeks following his release, Marcus cared for the children alone while Danielle remained incarcerated and he worked to secure her release. During that time, we continued to provide support, supplying groceries, gas cards and other essentials as he searched for child care and looked for more permanent work. Nearly all of his income went toward weekly motel fees, which left no opportunity to save for long-term housing.
Several weeks later, Danielle was released and reunited with the family. Her return allowed Marcus to find steady employment while she focused on caring for the children and finding housing.
By July, the family identified a landlord willing to overlook their credit history, which had suffered through years of instability and homelessness. The application and administrative fees for the rental totaled $200, which we covered through donor contributions. While the family waited for the house to become available, we stepped in on two occasions to cover the cost of several nights in a motel when their income fell short. During those weeks, we also supplied the family with groceries and gas cards, along with other donated items from community members through our to ensure the children’s basic needs were met.
On Aug. 15, 2025, the family moved into a three-bedroom rental home. Community donations covered the $200 utility deposits to ensure water and electricity were on when they arrived. Donors also provided gift cards and housewarming gifts with basic essentials — blankets, kitchen items and other supplies — to help them start out. A partner nonprofit delivered furniture, ensuring each child finally had a bed of their own.
For Marcus and Danielle, moving into their own home marked the end of years spent striving for stability while cycling between shelters and extended-stay motels. Through their hard work, determination and a coordinated community response we led in partnership with CPS, what began with five children stranded at a day care late on a Friday night ended with reunification after incarceration, safe housing, and renewed stability without the need for foster care.
Within two days of moving into their new home, Danielle insisted on volunteering with us, reaching out to community partners to help strengthen the kind of network that had carried her own family through their crisis. She plans to join our GROW Together Community, where families support families, and dreams of one day leading her own nonprofit to provide the kind of support she once needed herself.
The names of the parents and children have been changed to provide anonymity.
