As she waits in line at her local pantry, Karrie tries her best to wrangle her two sons, Logan, 5, and Tim, 4. Like most boys their age, their energy is endless and shows itself through running, wrestling and finding mischief. Today is no different.
Karrie is a stay-at-home mom; daycare can be expensive. And though her husband works, it’s simply not enough to provide for Logan, Tim, and Karrie’s two older children whose father passed away. The death benefits they receive pushes the family of six over the income threshold to receive SNAP benefits.
“We make too much money to receive help and it just doesn’t make sense, especially with the cost of food increasing,” she said. “But places like this really help. It helps cut down costs for our budget; the less we have to spend on food means we can cover other bills.”
Karrie reflects on the difficult decisions she and her husband have been forced to make at times. “We’ll always choose to feed the kids, but you gotta have the lights on too. We appreciate all the help — it really does make a difference.”
Thankfully more than 600 food programs within the Foodbank’s network are available to Karrie and other community members facing hunger. The Foodbank’s hunger-relief network spans eight counties and serves as the difference between hunger and hope for thousands of children, seniors and families all across the region.