“My Children Have Needs”: Mother of Five Pleads for Promised Support

Tanessa David, the mother of five boys whose father died in a truck accident while delivering Christmas hams and turkeys, is pleading for help, saying she is struggling to provide for her children while waiting for assistance she says was promised nearly two years ago.

David, the common-law wife of the late Shawn Jones of Greenbay, said promises of a home, a better-paying job and regular food support have yet to bring the relief her family needs.

“I’m struggling with my boys to make ends meet, from pay cheque to pay cheque,” she said, pointing to school fees and other expenses.

According to David, government assistance was promised following Jones’s death. However, she said the family is still waiting for housing and help securing better-paid employment.

“It’s almost two years now, and they promised me and my kids a home, and we haven’t gotten it. They promised me a better-paying job—nothing,” she said.

David also said food voucher assistance, which she understood would be provided weekly, has become less frequent.

“They said they were going to help me, put me on the programme to get food vouchers for my kids every week. Then they dropped it down to every other week. Now it’s every month,” she said.

For the mother of five, the uncertainty has added to the pressure of raising her sons following the loss of their father. She is appealing to the government to clarify when the outstanding support will materialise.

“I just want to know when,” she said.

Jones, 39, died following an accident in Herberts on December 19 while delivering Christmas hams and turkeys. Reports at the time indicated that the truck he was driving skidded, overturned and pinned him underneath.

Firefighters from St John’s Fire Station used the Jaws of Life to free him. He sustained critical injuries and was subsequently pronounced dead.

David’s appeal now centres on meeting the everyday needs of the five sons he left behind, with her income stretched between food, schooling and household expenses.

Her account of the promised assistance and changes to the food voucher arrangements has not been independently verified.