Poverty is the only load which is the heavier the more loved ones there are to assist in supporting it.

Hardship shared usually divides; scarcity multiplies. When money is short, every additional person who loves you is another person whose needs you cannot meet, and their willingness to help does not change the arithmetic. Watching people you care about go without on your account is a specific kind of weight, and it has nothing to do with any failing of yours.

If this is your situation, be exact rather than brave: name the number, tell one person who can act, and take help that is offered without turning it into a debt of feeling. If it is someone else’s, offer something particular and make it easy to accept.