*All names have been changed.*
Last week I spent some time talking to Amy. She is new in town, widowed, with two twin 13 year old girls. She does not yet have a job. Beyond that, I don't know her situation, particularly why she is still unemployed.
What is interesting, and yet hardly unique about Amy is that she is still trying to master the learning curve of getting the help she needs.
One of her requests for us was that she was having a hard time finding the help she needed. Since our first meeting, she has been approved for SNAP benefits of over $100 a month, which is a big help, but hardly enough to feed 3 people for a month.
I asked her if you daughters received free or reduced price breakfasts and lunches. They do not. At first glance, it seems like a no-brainer. Apply for it. Get it. Done.
But I think she is still settling in to being "needy." Her girls really don't like to buy lunch because the lines are long and once they get their food, they don't have time to socialize with their friends. I know, it's easy to tell them to get over it and eat their free lunch. It's easy from the sidelines. It's hard when you haven't had to deal with your kids in this way. I told her it was maybe time to let them in on the fact that they really need to work together as a family in this tough time, and they are old enough to understand the need to eat their free lunches. I suggested she even make a deal with them to buy lunch 4 days a week and she would pack 1. Start somewhere. Strike a compromise. I understand middle school girls. I live with one. But don't give up free food.
They don't get to school early enough to eat breakfast there because of when their bus drops them off, and she doesn't feel she can spend the gas money to drive them.
Seeing the answers, sometimes, when you are in the thick of it, is hard. I simply did the math. Two kids X 2 meals per day, 5 days per week. Twenty meals a week she wouldn't have to provide. Even if she truly couldn't afford the gas to drive the girls to school every day, 10 meals per week would be an awesome help.
I think the numbers convinced her.
Stat Counter
Monday, October 17, 2011
Feeding America & The Chew
So happy for The Chew and their partnership with Feeding America. I love the focus they had today on affordable meals. I wish I had seen that back when we randomly had limes in our food pantry, because they even addressed this.
I'm also happy that they showcased using ground turkey, because right now we have a lot of ground chicken we are passing out, and it inspires me to let people know some ways they can use it. Frankly, just because you suddenly get in a tight spot and find yourself in need of a pantry, you don't also suddenly become a genius at learning how to prepare foods that you might not have worked with before.
Learning to work with a diet primarily of canned foods is something we need to start educating people about. Not only do you need this skill when getting food from a pantry, but it is also an important way to help people learn to manage their food budget.
Anyway, here is the link to the promo on Facebook (since I can't find it anywhere else):
The Chew partners with Feeding America
I'm also happy that they showcased using ground turkey, because right now we have a lot of ground chicken we are passing out, and it inspires me to let people know some ways they can use it. Frankly, just because you suddenly get in a tight spot and find yourself in need of a pantry, you don't also suddenly become a genius at learning how to prepare foods that you might not have worked with before.
Learning to work with a diet primarily of canned foods is something we need to start educating people about. Not only do you need this skill when getting food from a pantry, but it is also an important way to help people learn to manage their food budget.
Anyway, here is the link to the promo on Facebook (since I can't find it anywhere else):
The Chew partners with Feeding America
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Elmo and hunger
I love Elmo, and I love Sesame Street.
This makes me love them even more.
On October 9, Sesame Stree will air a special on childhood hunger.
Please watch this with your kids, or your friends kids, or DVR it and save it until you find a kid to watch it with.
While it certainly isn't going to be a look at some of the grittier realities, it will be age appropriate for the 7 and under crowd.
This makes me love them even more.
On October 9, Sesame Stree will air a special on childhood hunger.
Please watch this with your kids, or your friends kids, or DVR it and save it until you find a kid to watch it with.
While it certainly isn't going to be a look at some of the grittier realities, it will be age appropriate for the 7 and under crowd.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Catherine
** All names have been changed. **
Last night, I got this email from someone who was referred to our pantry:
"I am a single working mom barely making it on a teacher's salary. I just recently had child support reduced which will cause me to struggle to put food not he table and pay bills for the next few months until I can rearrange some things in order to make my money go farther."
I got this email from an elementary school teacher at a school in a relatively affluent area of town.
I don't think most of us expect our children's teachers to end up needing a pantry to put food on the table.
Last night, I got this email from someone who was referred to our pantry:
"I am a single working mom barely making it on a teacher's salary. I just recently had child support reduced which will cause me to struggle to put food not he table and pay bills for the next few months until I can rearrange some things in order to make my money go farther."
I got this email from an elementary school teacher at a school in a relatively affluent area of town.
I don't think most of us expect our children's teachers to end up needing a pantry to put food on the table.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Tina
* All names have been changed. *
Late in 2007, Wachovia Securities announced it was moving most of it's Richmond, VA jobs to St. Louis. Hundreds of people were laid off.
Tina was one of the people.
I talked to Tina probably a year or more ago. She had been out of work from the lay off so long that she was no longer able to draw unemployemnt. (This means that she was no longer counted in unemployment figures that are reported in the news, like so many other people. )
Because there were so many people out of work with the same skill sets, it was hard for many of them to find jobs.
Tina's husband was on disability, which wasn't a problem when she had a good job with benefits. At the time I talke to her, her two twin teenage daughters were seniors in high school. One wanted to go to college to get a nursing degree. The other wanted to be a teacher.
One of them had even offered to stay home and go to community college to help save the family money.
Tina found a job working for Chick-fil-a, part time with no benefits. I haven't talked to her since the one time she needed food, likely because she was looking forward to an increase in hours that was going to help their finances some.
She liked working at Chick-fil-a because for each shift she got a free meal. With salads abd soups as options, she felt she was getting a pretty healthy selection and saving on the family grocery budget.
Both daughters worked at Chick-fil-a also, which provided them with some meals as well.
Even though she had found a system that worked pretty well for them, they still hit a rough patch where they just didn't have enough food in the house for the 4 of them to get by, which is why she called me.
Because of her work schedule, she wasn't able to come in, so I talked to her about what she wanted packed in her bags. She gave me a short list of things they especially liked, and concluded with the hesitant statement that the teens really like sugary cerals and cake - which I was happy to be able to provide for them.
After she picked up the food, she made a point to call and thank us, especially for the cake mix and cereal thrown in amongst the vegetables and such. It made the girls very happy, and I imagine something special like that provided a little bit of "normal" to a difficult situation.
I haven't heard from Tina since then, but I am hoping that the girls are both doing great in college.
Late in 2007, Wachovia Securities announced it was moving most of it's Richmond, VA jobs to St. Louis. Hundreds of people were laid off.
Tina was one of the people.
I talked to Tina probably a year or more ago. She had been out of work from the lay off so long that she was no longer able to draw unemployemnt. (This means that she was no longer counted in unemployment figures that are reported in the news, like so many other people. )
Because there were so many people out of work with the same skill sets, it was hard for many of them to find jobs.
Tina's husband was on disability, which wasn't a problem when she had a good job with benefits. At the time I talke to her, her two twin teenage daughters were seniors in high school. One wanted to go to college to get a nursing degree. The other wanted to be a teacher.
One of them had even offered to stay home and go to community college to help save the family money.
Tina found a job working for Chick-fil-a, part time with no benefits. I haven't talked to her since the one time she needed food, likely because she was looking forward to an increase in hours that was going to help their finances some.
She liked working at Chick-fil-a because for each shift she got a free meal. With salads abd soups as options, she felt she was getting a pretty healthy selection and saving on the family grocery budget.
Both daughters worked at Chick-fil-a also, which provided them with some meals as well.
Even though she had found a system that worked pretty well for them, they still hit a rough patch where they just didn't have enough food in the house for the 4 of them to get by, which is why she called me.
Because of her work schedule, she wasn't able to come in, so I talked to her about what she wanted packed in her bags. She gave me a short list of things they especially liked, and concluded with the hesitant statement that the teens really like sugary cerals and cake - which I was happy to be able to provide for them.
After she picked up the food, she made a point to call and thank us, especially for the cake mix and cereal thrown in amongst the vegetables and such. It made the girls very happy, and I imagine something special like that provided a little bit of "normal" to a difficult situation.
I haven't heard from Tina since then, but I am hoping that the girls are both doing great in college.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Lee
*All names have been changed. *
Lee was the second person we were able to serve today.
She had never been to our pantry before, and actually called to see if the church offered help with utility bills, since her power is about to be turned off. Since we don't have the financial means to do that, she was referred to the pantry, so that perhaps some supplemental groceries could save her a bit of money to help make a payment.
Lee has a full time job working for the state. Unfortunately, it is a job with no benefits. She is the single mother of a 17 year old son. She gets by paycheck to paycheck, like so many of us. She had managed to save up $150 for an emergency.
Recently, she had to have gall bladder surgery, which she has had to pay for out of pocket since she has no insurance. Obviously, her emergency is now gone.
She has been out of work, and receiving no pay. She is having some complications which might put her back in the hospital, as they suspect internal bleeding around the incision and may need to close it up better. She will likely have to be off work for at least 10 more days.
I didn't get to meet her in person, but I talked with her on the phone. She was gracious and formal, seemed uncomfortable asking for help.
Normally, we let pantry clients select their own food. It promotes dignity, reduces waste, and seems to work well for us.
Since Lee was going to have to get a ride and come later today (and has a tight schedule due to medical appointments), I offered to pack her a bag of groceries.
I always like to ask what people prefer not to eat in these situations (especially to take into account food allergies or medical needs). She offered no preference of food, and said they would happily take whatever we gave them.
She sounded defeated. In my imagination, she was looking at the floor when she said that.
There but for the grace of God.
Lee was the second person we were able to serve today.
She had never been to our pantry before, and actually called to see if the church offered help with utility bills, since her power is about to be turned off. Since we don't have the financial means to do that, she was referred to the pantry, so that perhaps some supplemental groceries could save her a bit of money to help make a payment.
Lee has a full time job working for the state. Unfortunately, it is a job with no benefits. She is the single mother of a 17 year old son. She gets by paycheck to paycheck, like so many of us. She had managed to save up $150 for an emergency.
Recently, she had to have gall bladder surgery, which she has had to pay for out of pocket since she has no insurance. Obviously, her emergency is now gone.
She has been out of work, and receiving no pay. She is having some complications which might put her back in the hospital, as they suspect internal bleeding around the incision and may need to close it up better. She will likely have to be off work for at least 10 more days.
I didn't get to meet her in person, but I talked with her on the phone. She was gracious and formal, seemed uncomfortable asking for help.
Normally, we let pantry clients select their own food. It promotes dignity, reduces waste, and seems to work well for us.
Since Lee was going to have to get a ride and come later today (and has a tight schedule due to medical appointments), I offered to pack her a bag of groceries.
I always like to ask what people prefer not to eat in these situations (especially to take into account food allergies or medical needs). She offered no preference of food, and said they would happily take whatever we gave them.
She sounded defeated. In my imagination, she was looking at the floor when she said that.
There but for the grace of God.
Brenda
*All names are changed. *
Today was not a day our pantry would normally be open. Brenda was one of two people who called today with emergency need.
It's Tuesday. Brenda has been without food in her home since Sunday. A neighbor gave her a few things to help get her through.
She had called social services, who told her just to call around and ask churches for food, and they included us on the list.
Brenda has visited us a few times already on a social services recommendation and she knew we weren't open until tomorrow.
But at a certain point, she just couldn't wait anymore so she called to see if we could help her today.
While I don't know her complete history, Brenda seems to perhaps have some cognitive issues that might prevent her from being able to find employment easily.
She told me her Social Security pays her bills (and since she is about my age, I am assuming this is disability), but she has nothing left over. Her SNAP (formerly food stamp) benefit is only $47 per month for her family of 2. SNAP benefits post of the first of the month, so she's a few days away from being able to shop.
Can you eat on $47 a month? How many times have you spent that just on 1 meal in a restaurant?
Add in recent increases in food costs, and she just can't make it. She said she has never been in such a difficult situation as she is in now.
As it was, she had just a small amount of gas in her car to come to our pantry. She's not the first person that I've talked to that struggled to pay for the gas just to drive a few miles to get food. (Of course, we also have plenty of people who have to find a ride to come.)
Mobile pantry time? Maybe one day.
That's all I know about Brenda. Today's the first time that I personally have met her. But I include her here because it's hard to believe that in suburban Short Pump, VA, near rows of restaurants and grocery stores, that there could be someone with no food at all in their home. Poverty is closer than we'd like to think.
Today was not a day our pantry would normally be open. Brenda was one of two people who called today with emergency need.
It's Tuesday. Brenda has been without food in her home since Sunday. A neighbor gave her a few things to help get her through.
She had called social services, who told her just to call around and ask churches for food, and they included us on the list.
Brenda has visited us a few times already on a social services recommendation and she knew we weren't open until tomorrow.
But at a certain point, she just couldn't wait anymore so she called to see if we could help her today.
While I don't know her complete history, Brenda seems to perhaps have some cognitive issues that might prevent her from being able to find employment easily.
She told me her Social Security pays her bills (and since she is about my age, I am assuming this is disability), but she has nothing left over. Her SNAP (formerly food stamp) benefit is only $47 per month for her family of 2. SNAP benefits post of the first of the month, so she's a few days away from being able to shop.
Can you eat on $47 a month? How many times have you spent that just on 1 meal in a restaurant?
Add in recent increases in food costs, and she just can't make it. She said she has never been in such a difficult situation as she is in now.
As it was, she had just a small amount of gas in her car to come to our pantry. She's not the first person that I've talked to that struggled to pay for the gas just to drive a few miles to get food. (Of course, we also have plenty of people who have to find a ride to come.)
Mobile pantry time? Maybe one day.
That's all I know about Brenda. Today's the first time that I personally have met her. But I include her here because it's hard to believe that in suburban Short Pump, VA, near rows of restaurants and grocery stores, that there could be someone with no food at all in their home. Poverty is closer than we'd like to think.
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