After her husband passed away, Danielle and her three children found themselves facing hunger. And when she lost her job, things got even harder. But thanks to you, help was there.
Danielle is a widow who has been raising three kids on her own since her husband passed away nine years ago. Her social security survivor benefits and income from her telemarketing job were just barely enough to pay the bills, but didn’t leave much wiggle room for the unexpected.
So when Danielle abruptly lost her job, it became impossible to afford enough food for the family.
Her 11-year-old and 14-year-old are growing quickly and need a lot of food. Danielle is grateful for the free lunch her kids receive at school, but that’s only one meal a day.
“I’ll go without before they do—and I do to make sure my kids have food. I’ll eat maybe once a day.”
Aside from food, affording heat and hot water is her family’s biggest challenge. At the time she shared her story, Danielle had no hot water. “To take showers, we have to go to our in-laws’ house. And to wash dishes I have to heat my water.”
So Danielle turned to her local food shelf for help. And thanks to you, the shelves were stocked. “I’ve used them several times, that’s how I was able to feed my kids last month.”
When we heard about her challenges feeding her family, we told Danielle about the fresh food distributions at her local hospital that you make possible. She was thrilled.
“Oh perfect!” she said. “I’ll go there tomorrow morning after I get the kids to school.”
Danielle hopes to get another job—a good one in an office that pays well, where she would have regular working hours and be able to be home with her kids in the evening. But until then, help is there because of you.
You can help make sure that fresh foods like fruits, veggies, and dairy remain available at food shelves and distributions around Vermont. Visit www.vtfoodbank.org/give to make a gift today.
Tara is a holistic nutrition consultant and a trained chef from Montpelier, who also offers postpartum support to mothers in Vermont. She’s a single mom, has her own business, and volunteers in her community serving food to unhoused neighbors. And she has faced food insecurity over the last 20 years. She has shared her experience with us to help build awareness of food insecurity.
After 36 years working as a counselor at a community college, Peter retired to Vermont and started volunteering at the Foodbank. More than nine years and 1,000 shifts later, Peter shares why he keeps showing up.
Matthew works at Foodworks food shelf, one of the 353 community organizations that partners with Vermont Foodbank working towards a food-secure vermont.
