The first time she heard about ModestNeeds.org, disabled single mom Becky Westbrook thought it was too good to be true.

Handicapped by scoliosis and emotional problems, Westbrook, 43, finds daily life to be a struggle. She has sought out all the public assistance she can find.

“Muskogee Community Action Foundation told me about ModestNeeds.org several years ago,” she said. “The thing that finally motivated me to check it out was desperation. I take my daughter, 15-year-old daughter Emily, to and from school every day. My tires were bald. I didn’t know what to do. I just didn’t have that kind of money laying around.”

Westbrook finally visited the Web site, which tries to respond to people’s modest needs by way of anonymous donors.

She had to submit verification of her Social Security benefits, a copy of her driver’s license, a copy of the first page of her lease, and a written estimate from the vendor (Harrison Tire and Supply). She also had to write a short essay about her need.

After waiting two weeks to find out if her application would be approved, Westbrook finally got the good news and saw her request on the Web site. Any of the anonymous donors who use the site could select her case, and their donation would be converted to points. Site operators had determined that she had to earn 439 points within 45 days.

Sure enough, the points began to accumulate, and she reached her goal in time.

“You’ve got to have faith, and you’ve got to have patience,” she said. “All they asked me for in return was a thank-you testimonial they could put on the ModestNeeds.org site.”

And then there was another surprise; the speed with which she got her check.

“It took only 11 days,” she said. “I went down to Harrison Tires and sat in there and bawled. It seemed too good to be true. The owner, Mike Young, was expecting me. They had notified him.”

Westbrook didn’t know just how dangerous her bald tires had become.

“The guys there said, ‘These wouldn’t have lasted another week,’” she said. “In 15 minutes they had all the tires replaced. Now I’ve got four brand new tires.”

Westbrook said her daughter was as excited as she was at their good fortune.

“She was ecstatic for me,” she said. “Her chin quivered when she read the letter they sent me telling me they were glad they could help me. I hope that somebody else can benefit from ModestNeeds.org. No one else has ever done something like this for me.”