MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) — A Hernando, Mississippi woman who took in her niece and five nephews three years ago is getting some GoFundMe help to become their mom.
Amanda Perry said thanks to hard work, good budgeting, thrift store shopping, and extreme couponing, she has been able to provide for the children, ages 4-12, but she knew there was no way she was going to be able to afford the $20,000 in legal feeds to adopt them.
“It’s independent. We are not under Child Protection Services,” said Perry. “I find out later if they were under CPS or DHS custody, adoption would be free. But I still didn’t want that for them.”
Perry said her half-sister was forced to give up the children due to mental illness and drug addiction, and she got the call to take them in. Perry, a registered medical assistant, said her two grown children were already out of the house, and her empty nest quickly became a full one again.
“The baby stage, the pacifier, it was all behind me. I had to get adjusted to all that, and to be honest, it did not take long. It was like mothering all over again,” she said.
She said her goal has always been to keep the children together. During a Zoom call Monday night, she kept an eye on dinner in the oven and tried to get all six children showered.
“It’s like an assembly line. We leave the shower running, and we start from youngest to oldest, and they just go because we only have one full bathroom.”
Perry was hoping to raise enough for a $10,000 downpayment for the lawyers and even planned to take $5,000 out of her saving. But so far, the GoFundMe has raised nearly $34,000. Perry is overwhelmed by the generosity of family, friends, and the community and plans to use the rest of the money to give her kids an even better life.
“Not to go into details, but they have been through a lot,” Perry said. “My wish for what is left over is to possibly put a down payment on a bigger house because we have no room here.”
She said the adoption process will take about a year to complete, and her children can’t wait to get her last name.
“We’ve been here for three years. So, another year that’s nothing. It will be a breeze.”
If you want to contribute to the GoFundMe, click here.