Many seniors who visit St. Mary’s Food Bank share similar struggles, but each story is unique. Take Bernadine, for instance.
Bernadine retired, thinking she was set for a comfortable life. “I have a pension, but one-third of it goes to healthcare. Then there’s my home mortgage and all these other bills. Food prices have gone up, but my social security didn’t,” she explained. “I’ve gotten into debt three times already.”
Until recently, Bernadine had money left over each month. Now, she is forced to make tough and heart-breaking sacrifices to get by. “I’ve had to sell my gold jewelry, cancel cable, and switched internet providers just to make ends meet,” she told us. “A lot of people don’t understand how hard it is when you live alone. Last week, I went to the grocery store and I was shocked at the prices.”
Bernadine was among one of our first neighbors to visit our NEW Neighbor Choice Food Pantry. With the help of a volunteer personal shopper, she picked items she knows she will use. She was so excited to be able to choose six granny smith apples that she changed her afternoon plans and decided to bake a yummy apple pie!
Another neighbor, Lisa, is a vegetarian. While she appreciated the pre-filled cart of food, she would give away all of the meat items because she couldn’t use them. Upon visiting the Neighbor Choice Food Pantry, she was moved to tears when she found lentils — a staple food item for her family.
We also saw Janet. She is battling cancer for the second time, after losing her husband and son within the past year. She picked her food items quietly but jumped for joy upon finding pork chops and hamburger meat — items she hadn’t had in years! Seeing the pork chops reminded her of an old recipe from her mom and she was looking forward to making it that night.
Even our volunteers are thrilled! “Got to take my turn in The Pantry,” Don wrote in an email to us.
“Does my heart good to fill a grocery cart with items they get to choose. It was absolutely enjoyable to speak with and serve them. Thank you, St. Mary’s and its financial supporters for taking on this opportunity for one-on-one with our neighbors. Good on you.”
Stories like these have a hopeful ending because people like you care.
