A Monroe woman was arrested after a shoplifting incident involving children’s clothing about 9 p.m. Wednesday at Meijer in Frenchtown Township, according to reports I picked up this morning at the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

The woman, who had two young children with her, paid for groceries with her Michigan Bridge card, the store employees said.

But security employees had also seen her concealing kids’ clothing in her purse and behind a child’s coat. At one point, store employees told deputies, the woman put a new pair of shoes on her son and took off the tags.

After store security apprehended her, the mother said she took the items for her children because she was unable to pay. She had only $8 cash on her besides the Bridge Card.

The woman told employees that she had not had any luck in seeking help from at least one local agency in getting items for the children.

Now, a Meijer employee has since made arrangements for the two children to get new coats, and the boy to get some boots.

But the mother still faces a charge of retail fraud-second degree and was taken to jail.

I don’t know any details about the family beyond what was in the police report.

It’s obvious to me, however, that any money that mother hoped to save by shoplifting is going to be eaten up in court costs, fines and legal fees – not to mention that retail fraud is not a conviction one wants to have on a criminal record when applying for certain jobs.

In the meantime, this story illustrates a point that I’ve brought up before on Monroe on a Budget, but needs repeating for those who are already or soon to be unemployed and may need to seek financial assistance.

You WILL have to spend a lot of time and effort seeking out the exact resources that your family is eligible for. It’s a crazy maze of rules as to what income levels, number of household members and circumstances can qualify you for individual financial assistance, discounts, grants, holiday gifts and donation programs.

That’s why one family might get help with a past-due utility bill, another will get a Christmas food basket, someone else will qualify for low-cost rental housing, etc.

So if you are just starting to wonder what your family is eligible for, go to my sidebar Do you need assistance? Tips to read first.

In this particular case, the mother had another option to get winter coats for her kids beyond the agency she said she had checked with.

You see, St. Joseph Catholic Church in Monroe has an annual coat drive.

This year’s distribution day was Nov. 15.

Free coats in a variety of sizes and styles, donated by local families as they were cleaning out their closets in advance of the winter season.

No questions asked.

No income verification.

No application required.

And all she had to do to get information on the coat drive was read The Monroe Evening News (you can read the newspaper for free at the local public libraries or at our office during business hours); read the Monroe on a Budget blog (Internet access is free at Monroe County Library System branches); see the notice in her church bulletin (yes, even low-budget families attend Sunday services); or attend the Project Homeless Connect expo held Nov. 12 in Monroe (this expo was widely promoted in the area and was the third such event held locally).

Now, what community resource are you overlooking as you figure out ways to solve your family budget problems?