Ms. Melissa McCabe and her fianc� Mr. Edward See, once in despair and homeless, are now on the road to recovery and self-sufficiency thanks to the Family Resource Center (FRC), a non-profit group based in Peekskill, New York. The couple, who together have one infant daughter, plus three other small children, have been able to use the Center's certified Housing Counseling Program, funded by HUD, to recently obtain transitional housing. Up until then, Ms. McCabe and Mr. See were living in emergency housing. They were referred to the FRC by the Westchester County Department of Social Services when they lost their permanent housing. Both are now making excellent progress in learning new professional skills and are, at the same time, creating a stable family life for themselves and their four young children.

Ms. McCabe on a couch with her children. On McCabe's lap is Zachary, 5; the girl is Marisa, 12; on her lap is Mikayla, 13 months; and to Marisa's left is her brother, Justin, 7.

Ms. McCabe is planning on returning to school to become a nurse's assistant, while Mr. See is gainfully employed as a welder in Peekskill. In addition to the FRC's Housing Counseling Program, the family has also received nutritional outreach assistance from the FRC's "Harvest Time" Pantry Program. The Pantry Program, started by FRC's executive director Ms. Elizabeth C. McCorvey three years ago, has distributed over 40,000 bags of food to needy Westchester County residents. As participants in FRC's emergency housing program, the See-McCabe family have become wonderful neighbors and model residents in showing others how to move toward self-sufficiency. Mr. See has also been instrumental in remodeling and beautifying the couple's apartment.

The Family Resource Center in Peekskill, founded in 1983, provides both resources and support to help the needy gain strength and self-sufficiency. Its specific services include emergency food relief, housing counseling, transitional/permanent housing, referral services and crises counseling to about 500 low-income individuals and families living in the Peekskill area. The Family Resource Center also provides 22 emergency housing units for low-income families. There is also a small emergency resource bank called Harvest Time that provides clients with food, clothing and furniture on a case-by-case basis. About three times a week a local Peekskill supermarket donates both bread and canned food to the needy, while Food Patch, Westchester's County's Food Bank, provides free produce. It should also be noted that Ms. McCorvey's mother, Ms.Vera McCorvey, was the founder of the FRC; so there is a long family tradition in helping the needy and caring for your neighbor.