Keeping the lights off

Sunshine beamed through power lines, illuminating clothing racks and tables filled with a vibrant variety of clothes. The racks formed a perimeter around a two-bedroom home. Tara Hull, 56, lounged in her lawn chair bantering with one of her older sisters and waiting for customers to buy some of her low-priced items. She has run the yard sale every day so she can earn money to continue supporting her son, Alexandro, who has autism and is nonverbal, and a daughter, Alisia.

Tara is a single mother who relies on her and her son’s combined disability benefits. Despite her struggles with finances, persistent health issues and tumultuous relationships with her kids, she has remained hopeful for a bright future for them. 

“I wish I could have a house for my kids out in the country,” she said. “I want Alexandro to be able to go outside, somewhere he could run around with the dogs in the yard. And we could have a kitchen table where he can sit down and do his puzzles. He loves puzzles. That’s all I want.”

Before the sun rose the next morning, remnants of the yard sale were stacked in piles beneath tarps. Tara was preparing to send Alexandro off to his school. When he climbed into the van, her day began. She took her medications, some for lingering pain associated with a back injury at her last job. She watched the news, checked the weather and prepared for another day of her yard sale. 

The family relied on a “blessing box” with donated food to supplement their resources. To save on her utility expenses, she has tried to keep the lights off. She moved to Winchester to be close to family and a support system.

Tara worried whether she will be able to make enough extra money to buy a cake or toy cars for Alexandro 24th birthday at the end of the week.

“I try to put the worries out of my head and stay busy,” she said. “All I can do is pray. That’s why I’m still doing my yard sale: to make money for my bills and make sure my kids have everything they need to survive.”