WITH THE RIGHT WRONG NUMBER.
>> MY SON, HE RAN OUT OF MILK
AND I REALLY NEEDED SOME MIL
STEWART: THIS IS SEVEN MONTH OLD
AL MASHIN, MONICA EUBANK’S SON.
MONICA, LIKE SO MANY ACROSS
CENTRAL FLORIDA, IS STRUGGLING
FINANCIALLY DURING THIS
PANDEMIC.
SO SHE DID AS PEOPLE HAVE ALWAYS
DONE: SHE WENT TO WIC FOR HELP.
>> WHEN I GOT THERE, NO ONE TO
ME THEY MOVED.
OR SAID ANYTHING.
I’M LIKE, OK, LET ME CALL THIS
NUMBER BECAUSE IT SAYS CALL THIS
NUMBER.
STEWART: BUT THE NUMBER POSTED
ON THE DOOR, WHICH WE HAVE
BLURRED OUT, DOES NOT CONNECT
YOU TO THE WOMEN, INFANTS, AND
CHILDREN PROGRAM.
CRAIG WILKERSON PICKED UP THE
OTHER END OF THE LINE.
AND AFTER HE ASKED HER MULTIPLE
TIMES, MONICA TOLD HIM SHE WAS
IN NEED OF BABY FORMULA.
>> I ASKED HER IF SHE NEEDED
ANYTHING ELSE.
SHE SAID "I’VE GOT THE WRONG
NUMBER."
I SAID, THAT’S UNACCEPTABLE.
I’VE BEEN ON GOVERNMENT SERVICES
BEFORE.
I KNOW HOW HARD IT IS.
EXCUSE ME FOR GETTING UPSE
I KNOW HOW HARD IT IS WHEN
YOU’RE TRYING TO REACH OUT FOR
HELP, AND THERE’S NO ONE
ANSWERING THE PHONE ON THE OTHER
END.
STEWART: YOU SEE, CRAIG ISN’T
JUST A GOOD SAMARITAN WITH
ENDLESS FUNDS, HE’S BEEN TRYING
TO GET UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFIT HELP
FOR WEEKS, AND HE IS ALSO
GETTING A BRIDGE OF SUPPORT FROM
THE GOVERNMENT.
>> WE JUST HAPPENED TO HAVE A
LITTLE EXTRA MONEY ON OUR FOOD
STAMP CARD THAT I WAS ABLE TO
GET THE BABY FORMULA AND SOME OF
THE THINGS SHE NEEDED TODAY.
STEWART: MONICA HAS 3 OLDER
CHILDREN, SHUFFLING A FULL TIME
JOB, VIRTUAL SCHOOL, PLUS TRYING
TO MAKE ENDS MEET FINANCIALLY.
THINGS ARE TOUGH.
>> STILL GOOD PEOPLE LEFT IN THE
WORLD.
I JUST THANK GOD BECAUSE I’M
ALWAYS DOING SOMETHING FOR
SOMEONE ELSE.
BUT I GOT MY BLESSING TODAY.
THE SMALL THINGS COUNT.
THIS SMALL THING IS BIG TO ME.
HE WENT OUT OF HIS WAY AND HE
DIDN’T HAVE TO.
STEWART: CRAIG SAYS HE THOUGHT
IT WAS A SCAM BECAUSE HE HAS 49
MISSED CALLS, BUT NOW REALIZES
48 PEOPLE DIDN’T GET CALLS
ANSWERED.
HE SAYS KNOWING THAT MISTAKE
SIMPLY BREAKS HIS HEART.
>> I THINK ABOUT ALL THOSE OTHER
CALLS TODAY THAT I DIDN’T ANSWER
TODAY, AND WHAT THOSE PEOPLE DID
FOR SERVICES, BECAUSE THEY
DIDN’T GET THROUGH TO GET
