Inside the Food Bank’s Partner Agency, Reveal Resource Center, families wait to be called to check in to receive food. There doesn’t seem to be much food in sight, except for a long table of bread. However, the real action takes place around the back of the building where volunteers diligently fill food baskets for the families waiting inside.
Jeniffer patiently waits for her turn. It’s her third time at the pantry. Times have been really tough for her family recently.
She makes sure her four children and her husband have a meal on the table every night, even if it means she’ll be eating crackers to get by.
After taking unpaid maternity leave, Jeniffer and her husband fell on hard times, and it became difficult to pay their expenses. Unable to find a cheaper apartment, the family was evicted and was forced to stay in hotels.
Even then, the couple had to take out loans to help pay for the hotels.
“We are buried in bills. They said my husband makes $30 too much on his paycheck so we don’t qualify for any benefits,” Jeniffer said.
The stress from their worsening economic situation took a toll on the expecting mother, causing her baby to be born early.
With help from Jeniffer’s mom, the family was able to secure housing and finally have a permanent place to call home. But it’s still difficult for the family of six to get by.
With childcare being so expensive and costing more than what she would earn, Jeniffer decided not to return to work. Instead, she would stay at home to take care of her baby and her mother who had fallen three times and had broken her toes and fractured her knees.
Though the family is slowly getting back on their feet, Jeniffer’s husband works in a car wash and barely makes enough to cover rent and the electric bill.
That’s when Jeniffer decided to seek help through 2-1-1 and made her way to the Reveal Resource Center.
“We have never had to do this, so for me it is frustrating. This whole experience is different and I know we can do better,” Jeniffer said.
Even though she was wary of going to a food pantry, the food she receives helps feed everyone in her family, from the youngest member at just 10 months to her mother. With the help from the Food Bank, Jeniffer will no longer have to skip meals.
After checking in, Jeniffer made her way through the bread line where she was able to take as much bread as she needed. But more food waited for her outside.
As she pulled up her car and opened her trunk, she was greeted by a volunteer ready to deliver a basket full of fresh vegetables, meat, and staples for her family.
Jeniffer is especially excited to use the fresh vegetables she receives to make vegetable puree for her baby. She knows that her mom will even be able to cook Chinese food with the food she receives.
“To the donors who help provide all of this, I would like to say thank you for everything,” Jeniffer said.
