Gabriel and Constancia both had jobs getting food to older adults. When the two of them lost work due to the coronavirus, they found themselves in need of food assistance for the first time. And help was there, thanks to friends like you.
Gabriel and Constancia like to do almost everything together.
Up until March of 2020, they both worked for an organization that brought food to seniors. Constancia helped prepare the food, and Gabriel delivered it. “It is a joy to help others,” says Constancia.
When COVID-19 cases began to rise and people were told to shelter at home, they lost their jobs on the same day.
Gabriel has applied for unemployment multiple times, but there were issues with the paperwork.
“We have zero in the bank. We have no resources other than this place,” Gabriel says, about a food shelf they’ve been coming to since the end of last March. “It’s been a blessing to come here. It’s our grocery store.”
Thanks to the support of friends like you, food shelves have been able to remain stocked, and open, during the COVID-19 health crisis.
Gabriel adds that Constancia is a great cook. She makes Gabriel’s favorite American foods as well as dishes from the Philippines where she was born.
The couple, who have been married for six years, say they never needed food assistance before the pandemic.
“God has blessed us through the years,” Gabriel says. “We have a house over our heads and no medical problems.”
Gabriel says the pandemic has “been painful. It’s been a hard experience, but we stick together.”
It is because of caring community members, like you, that local food shelves can offer nourishing food and the ingredients people need in order to cook a variety of favorite dishes. A meal close to one’s heart can be a real comfort during difficult times — and essential when it comes to all of us staying healthy and strong.
Thank you for helping to make sure families and neighbors across Vermont have had enough to eat throughout the pandemic.
Support neighbors during this difficult time, if you can. Give help.
Are you in need of help? We’re here. Get help.
Help get food to neighbors who need it. Volunteer.
How do you find the heart of a community? You can find it in the people who run its food shelf. At the Onion River Food Shelf in Marshfield, VT, one of those people is Diana.
Denise is the manager at Sid’s Pantry, one of the 220+ food shelves and meal sites that make up the Vermont Foodbank network. In between visits from neighbors picking up food, Denise talks about how her own experiences with food insecurity influence the ways she supports her community.
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