A single mother of four has been forced to rely on her young children's lemonade stand as a sole source of income after losing her job during the pandemic

• A single mother of four has been forced to rely on her children's lemonade stand as the only source of income for the family after the coronavirus pandemic put her out of a job.
• Erin Bailey from Greenacres, Florida, had to shut down her landscaping business in March and has been struggling to find another job.
• "Everything was going really well before the virus hit. Then it changed all of a sudden my savings vanished and I am trying to make ends meet," the mother told Insider.
• Bailey's four children— aged between six and 10 years old — came up with the idea of using their lemonade stand to make money for the family. Although the income it generates falls short of covering all the household costs.
• A GoFundMe fundraiser for the family has so far raised more than $12,500.

A single mother of four has been forced to rely on her children's lemonade stand as a sole source of income for her family after losing her job due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Erin Bailey from Greenacres, Florida, had to shut down her landscaping business in March when the pandemic started sweeping across the country.

"Everything was going really well before the virus hit. Then it changed all of a sudden my savings vanished and I am trying to make ends meet. It's been an absolute nightmare," Bailey told Insider.

The mother said she's been unable to find a new job during the pandemic and that school closures forced her to devote all her time to care for her kids.

As coronavirus restrictions loosened up in Florida, Bailey's four children — aged between six and 10 years old — said they wanted to start selling lemonade again. They had previously already set up a lemonade stand to make some pocket money for toys.

"It was actually my children who suggested we use their lemonade stand. They told me: 'It's okay mommy, you can use our money from the stand because we need toilet paper, we need paper towels, we need food,'" Bailey said. "It was amazing. I just have the best kids in the world."

Bailey and her children have been selling lemonade throughout the summer, spending long days outside while performing dances and songs to attract customers.

"They're holding their signs and we've had different dances and things. We're trying to have fun," the mother said.

Bailey said that they have an average of about 10 customers a day but that the stand has not proved a sustainable income source for the family.

"Some days we would only have two or three people come by in the morning and then maybe four or five more in the afternoon. Certain days are kind of better than others, but sadly it's just not enough."

The mother has also been struggling to get help from the state and county, with applications taking longer than usual.

After the family's story was reported by local television station WPBF, a GoFundMe page was set up to help the family. It has so far raised more than $12,500.

"I'm incredibly thankful to all the kind people who have helped us out," said Bailey. "There are still more hurdles to overcome, but at least now a little pressure has been lifted off my family. I am grateful."

"It's been like getting crushed over and over and over. But now, I'm starting to feel a little bit of hope again," she added.

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