* 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.
Stat Counter
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
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.
Stories behind the numbers
Awhile back, a friend of mine posted an article on poverty that addressed some shocking numbers. This article felt like a smack across the face when I read it because I had just come home from serving in our church food pantry. That day, I found out one of our clients was the grandmother of one of my daughter's friends.
That was a bitter pill to swallow, and really hard to capture in words. We had a great visit. She was kind and gracious, and I made a point to tell her to pass along a hello to her granddaughter (but that she didn't have to tell her where we had seen each other). Other than the fact that it took place in a food pantry, it was a pretty normal conversation for people connected through kids.
The people visiting pantries are real people, each with their own unique stories and situations. There are a lot of "there but for the grace of God" moments when I hear some people's stories. I feel like numbers on a page don't do justice to the situation. Really, to understand the depth of the problem, you have to meet the people face to face.
I have been blessed to do just that. I have the opportunity to serve in a pantry that has seen miraculous growth over the past few years. We have served 10 times the number of people so far in 2011 than we served in all of 2009, and three times the number we served in 2010. It has been a wild ride.
But, again, those are just numbers.
I wish everyone could meet those who are in need face to face. Here, in this space, I hope to introduce some of them to you.
Honestly, you probably won't like them all. I find some of the folks we serve challenging, and it would be disingenuous of me to leave those out. But I would hazard a guess that anywhere you go where there are relatively large numbers of people - work, social organization, even family gatherings - there will be some people that rub you the wrong way. God calls us to love our neighbors, and not just the lovable ones.
But you will probably meet someone here that reminds you of yourself, or your grandmother, or the guy in the next cubicle.
I hope you meet someone here that changes you.
Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly. Micah 6:8
That was a bitter pill to swallow, and really hard to capture in words. We had a great visit. She was kind and gracious, and I made a point to tell her to pass along a hello to her granddaughter (but that she didn't have to tell her where we had seen each other). Other than the fact that it took place in a food pantry, it was a pretty normal conversation for people connected through kids.
The people visiting pantries are real people, each with their own unique stories and situations. There are a lot of "there but for the grace of God" moments when I hear some people's stories. I feel like numbers on a page don't do justice to the situation. Really, to understand the depth of the problem, you have to meet the people face to face.
I have been blessed to do just that. I have the opportunity to serve in a pantry that has seen miraculous growth over the past few years. We have served 10 times the number of people so far in 2011 than we served in all of 2009, and three times the number we served in 2010. It has been a wild ride.
But, again, those are just numbers.
I wish everyone could meet those who are in need face to face. Here, in this space, I hope to introduce some of them to you.
Honestly, you probably won't like them all. I find some of the folks we serve challenging, and it would be disingenuous of me to leave those out. But I would hazard a guess that anywhere you go where there are relatively large numbers of people - work, social organization, even family gatherings - there will be some people that rub you the wrong way. God calls us to love our neighbors, and not just the lovable ones.
But you will probably meet someone here that reminds you of yourself, or your grandmother, or the guy in the next cubicle.
I hope you meet someone here that changes you.
Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly. Micah 6:8
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