A Gilbert single mother of three, juggling nursing school, clinical rotations and raising her kids, just got her hands on a repaired car after months of leaning on rides from friends, Lyft, Uber and Waymo to get where she needed to go. The vehicle came through a partnership between two nonprofits working to keep low-income parents from losing ground on their path to a degree.
A Car Becomes a Lifeline for a Nursing Student
The mother, identified only as Jessica, has spent recent months balancing coursework, clinical hours and childcare for her three children, according to ABC15 Arizona. Jessica told the station that reliable transportation has been very challenging for her, and that having a working car again helps her substantially. Before receiving the vehicle, she relied on other people along with rideshare and driverless services just to keep her school and family obligations on track, per the same report.
The repaired car came through Helping Hands for Single Moms, which supports mothers across Maricopa County pursuing college degrees, working in partnership with Matthew 22:39, a nonprofit connected with Christian Brothers Automotive. Iris Ortega, program events manager for Helping Hands for Single Moms, said reliable transportation can be critical for mothers trying to finish school, according to ABC15's report. Ortega added that mothers should not have to choose between fixing their car and getting to class.
Nonprofit's Track Record in the East Valley
Helping Hands for Single Moms provides scholarships, monthly stipends, auto repairs, housing assistance and other services to its participants, the outlet reported. The organization has worked with 42 Gilbert families whose mothers graduated from its program, and it was founded in Phoenix in 2002 by Chris Coffman to help low-income single mothers in Maricopa County earn college degrees, according to GuideStar. The nonprofit heavily prioritizes healthcare education, directing roughly 75 of its 100 annual scholarships toward single mothers enrolled in nursing programs, GuideStar notes.
Applicants must meet a specific set of requirements to qualify for aid, including maintaining at least a 2.8 GPA, carrying nine or more credit hours per semester, having children in high school or younger, and living at or below 150% of federal poverty guidelines, according to the organization's own application guidelines. In December 2025, the nonprofit graduated its 500th single mother from college since its founding, a milestone formally celebrated at a community event in April, per Helping Hands for Single Moms.
Christian Brothers Automotive's Faith-Based Repair Program
Ellen Marrs, director of customer care at Christian Brothers Automotive, received help with her own vehicle during a difficult period, and said having many decisions to make plus a nonworking automobile felt overwhelming, according to ABC15's reporting. Christian Brothers Automotive was founded in Houston in 1982 by Mark Carr and now operates more than 300 locations nationwide, anchored by a motto based on Matthew 22:39, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” per the company's own history. That verse also gives its name to the nonprofit initiative that helped repair Jessica's car.
Jessica, for her part, encouraged other mothers not to give up on their dreams and to stay focused and determined, ABC15 reported. She continues working toward her nursing degree while raising her three children in Gilbert.
Broader Pressures Facing Single Mothers in Arizona
The transportation gap Jessica faced reflects a wider pattern among student parents nationally. Research cited by the Institute for Women's Policy Research and reported by Arizona Sonoran News shows more than 2 million single mothers attend college nationwide, often carrying higher student debt loads and facing shortages of affordable campus childcare that contribute to higher dropout rates among student parents.
In Arizona specifically, 23% of single-mother households — totaling 75,981 families — live below the federal poverty line, with poverty rates climbing to 68% for single mothers raising five or more children, according to data reported by Zip Atlas. Helping Hands for Single Moms has tracked outcomes showing its graduates go on to earn an average starting salary exceeding $51,000 a year, compared with an average baseline income of just $9,700 when mothers first apply for assistance, per DFW501c News.
Gilbert's Own Numbers Show Rising Need
Municipal data adds another layer to the picture. The Town of Gilbert opened a 15-day public comment period on September 1 running through September 15, allowing residents to review its draft Program Year 2025 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report, according to the Town of Gilbert. The report covers the 2025-26 fiscal year and, per ABC15's reporting, shows town partners prevented 189 evictions and 529 utility disconnections during that period, while identifying 237 female-headed households accessing community services.
For fiscal year 2025-26, Gilbert directed its federal Community Development Block Grant funding toward public service initiatives, emergency and minor home repair programs for low-income homeowners, and exterior improvements at the Gilbert Heritage Center, according to the town's CDBG program page. Those federal dollars require municipalities to serve low- and moderate-income residents or address local blight, underscoring how city-level funding and nonprofit efforts like Helping Hands for Single Moms and Matthew 22:39 are both working to shore up the same vulnerable households across the East Valley.
