To Cobley, this project was more than an act of civic generosity -- it was personal. Just two weeks earlier she and her kids -- Adrian, then 13, Alicia, 12, Chase, 3, Cole, 2, and Cade, 6 months -- had lost their own home and were on the waiting list at the very same shelter.

Homeless, But Devoted to Hunger Relief

Not long before then, Cobley and her husband, a salesman, had been raising their family in a nice house in a good school district. They even had two cars. Then, to Cobley's shock, her husband began using illegal drugs. Soon he became physically abusive. That was it: She filed a restraining order and divorce papers. But even after the divorce became final, her ex-husband took revenge, refusing to pay alimony and child support (which was a nonissue anyway, since he quickly degenerated into full-fledged addiction). "We were on the street within weeks," Cobley recalls.

Like many abused women, she was too humiliated to confide in family or friends. So Cobley kept her torment to herself and put her possessions in storage and her children in a small sedan she'd managed to borrow. "I had no idea what I was going to do," she says. "I told the kids that as long as we were together, everything would be okay. I just hoped they believed me."

She had assumed that a family in trouble would be welcome at a city shelter. "But I learned there's no safety net," she recalls tearfully. "Every shelter had a long waiting list. And I was terrified to go to social-service agencies. What if they put my kids in foster care? I might never get them back." At one point she broached that possibility with her children, emphasizing the pluses of having a proper place to live, but "they became hysterical and begged me to keep them together, no matter what."

Her only fallback was the fact that she'd been earning extra money cleaning houses. So she embarked on a daily routine where each morning she'd drop off her girls at junior high and head with the three boys to a cleaning job. On days when she earned enough, the family stayed in a motel, where Cobley would sneak into the laundry room after hours. "The kids' clothes had to be clean," she says, "so no one at school would suspect." On the relatively few occasions when she could not come up with the cash for a room, it was back to the car for the night. Throughout it all, she and her children continued their nightly food deliveries while she cleaned houses during the day. "The kids knew our life was pretty screwed up," she says. "Having this ritual of helping others gave them a chance to focus on someone else's problems." Cobley gradually expanded her fledgling program to other restaurants and shelters in the Boise area.

Cobley Heads Chefs to the Rescue

The family had been homeless for 18 months when the Idaho Foodbank, a nonprofit hunger-relief organization, heard about Cobley's program and offered to absorb it and employ her part-time to run it. Working for "Chefs to the Rescue" -- as the program was dubbed -- was a huge break, but she still couldn't afford permanent housing. Then, six months later, came true progress: The Foodbank gave her a full-time job and the family finally reached the top of the housing authority's waiting list. Joyously, they moved into a tiny, dilapidated house. To make ends meet, though, Cobley still cleaned houses at night.

In 1999 all the worry and exhaustion caught up with her: At 39, she had a heart attack. She made a complete recovery but was forced to quit her night job. Since then she has concentrated on Chefs to the Rescue, which currently delivers more than 63,000 pounds of food each month to the homeless.

Her ex-husband died in 2000, making her kids eligible for Social Security payments; that income, along with her salary, meant Cobley could finally rent a four-bedroom cottage on a hill overlooking Boise.

"Helping Others Is Key to Helping Ourselves"

It's close to a fairy-tale ending, so it's fitting that Cobley's newest role is as a Harlequin heroine. Last March the romance-book publisher named her a winner in a contest celebrating ordinary women who have made extraordinary contributions to their communities. The prize: being cast in a novella (published last month in a collection called More Than Words) based on her life, as well as $10,000 for the Idaho Foodbank.

True to Harlequin tradition, Cobley's fictional alter ego meets a hunky policeman who sweeps her off her aching feet. In real life, Cobley entertains no such fantasies. "I made a bad decision once and the kids and I lost everything we could possibly lose except one another," she says. "I won't take that chance again." Besides, she believes she already has her happy ending. "The experience gave my kids unshakable inner strength and character," she says. "And we learned an invaluable lesson -- that helping others is the key to helping ourselves."

To find a food bank near you, visit America's Second Harvest at www.secondharvest.org. If you're interested in setting up a food bank, Cobley will be glad to offer assistance. Contact her at scobley@idahofoodbank.org.

Originally published in Ladies' Home Journal magazine, October 2005.

2. Arrange for a romantic sleigh ride through the streets of your city or a nearby field. Cuddle up under the blanket to keep warm.

3. Celebrate crossing items off your holiday shopping list by stopping for a steaming cup of flavored coffee and some conversation.

4. Fill each other's stockings with sexy gifts like massage lotion and lingerie. Carve out some time to actually use them!

5. Share a hot bubble bath on a cold winter night. For extra bubbles, sip champagne while you soak.

6. Start planning a trip somewhere warm. Whether you actually go or not, it's fun to fantasize about escaping the cold and lying on the beach.

7. Hang mistletoe in a spot you have to pass frequently -- and don't go by without a smooch!

8. Rent classic holiday movies like It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol (or National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, if you want a laugh), build a fire in the fireplace, and share a cozy evening at home.

9. After decorating the house and Christmas tree, turn off all the lights, and admire your handiwork in the glow of the tree lights.

10. Volunteer at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter. You'll get to spend quality time together, plus you'll realize how fortunate you really are.

11. Bake your husband's favorite Christmas cookies -- and ask him to be the "chief cookie-tester."

12. Put on a CD of holiday music in the car and drive around your neighborhood to check out the lights and decorations. Pick your favorite and vote on the "most over-the-top" display -- every neighborhood has someone who really goes to town!

13. Mark the end of the old year and the beginning of the new by opening a bottle of wine and reminiscing about the events of the past year and sharing what you hope for in the coming year.

14. Get creative (and silly!) and compose your own Christmas letter to friends and relatives. Challenge your mate to see which of you can come up with the funniest, most outrageous letter -- and then don't send it out!

15. Play secret Santa and leave each other little gifts (movie tickets, candy, a CD) in unexpected places like a briefcase, the car, or on his pillow.