Diane is living on a fixed income. After paying bills, there isn’t much money left for food — so Diane visits her local food shelf. Thanks to friends like you, she’s able to bring home fresh foods and pantry staples and has the ingredients to cook delicious meals for her grandsons.
Diane is cheerful and bubbly and proudly shows off pictures of her twin grandsons at the first chance she gets. After spending just a few minutes with her, it’s easy to see that Diane is a ray of sunshine for everyone around her.
What might be harder to spot about the 77-year-old is that she struggles with hunger.
Diane is living on a fixed income after retiring from a career in home care.
“After I pay my rent, electricity, and other bills, what’s left?” Diane says. “You know, not much for food.”
Diane is signed up for SNAP benefits, a program that provides her with some money each month to purchase groceries. But it’s not enough to get her through the month, and she needs some extra help to get enough to eat.
To make ends meet, Diane visits a food shelf and is able to take home food she otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford at the store — staples like protein, dairy, and shelf- stable goods. Thanks to you, food shelves in every county in Vermont are stocked and ready to support community members’ well-being.
“I’d be eating much less than I do now if it weren’t for this,” Diane admits. “This is a true blessing.”
And the food Diane receives means more to her than having a full plate for herself. It means she has enough to cook for her two grandsons.
Because you help keep shelves and refrigerators stocked with food, families and neighbors across the state are able to come together around tables full with summertime favorites. Whether it’s grilled chicken or sweet corn, slaw, melon, or strawberry shortcake … after more than a year of being isolated from our loved ones, it’s especially joyful to eat together once more.
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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