In 2008, an average of 37,000 individuals and families received assistance each month through our network of agencies. Many individuals needing our assistance have been turned away by traditional support programs because they do not meet certain guidelines.
45% of those we serve are working individuals and families, 34% are children and 20% are seniors.
All those who seek our help cannot afford at that time to buy food and are struggle to stay afloat. Many need more than just assistance with food.
We want to share with you stories about some of our neighbors that we have helped recently. Please become a partner in helping us fulfill our mission. (We will update this page regularly.)
A woman referred to us by the domestic violence shelter. Her husband had been removed from the home and she was living there but he wasn't paying anything so she was waiting on foreclosure. She is such a physical and emotional wreck she is unable to work. This is a woman who worked in a professional office and had a very different life at one point. When she came to us, she needed food. Further investigation revealed she had absolutely no gas in her car, prescriptions she hadn't been taking as she couldn't pick them up, as she had no money. We wrote her a check to cover the cost of her prescriptions, gas in her car and gave her food from the emergency pantry and a gift card to fill in. She broke down in tears.
A gentleman found out about us through a church and DSS in another county. He was in desperate need of food and other essentials also. This gentleman was self-employed in the construction and housing industry and normally did very well but was basically without work and had been for a while. He has shared custody of his two elementary age children and when he came to us, he said he had to swallow his pride. His children were coming for his weekend and he didn't have food. He was also upset as he had used most of his gas trying to find assistance and work. We helped him with food and gas.
A family came to us through Department of Social Services. This family consists of a wife, husband, son and daughter. The wife/mother has been diagnosed with two major illnesses, both of which can be fatal. She was hospitalized 300 times last year. Her oldest child, a son who's 17, missed so much time from school to take care of his preschool sibling, that he almost flunked out. The dad works full-time. This family is devastated by unfathomable medical bills and can barely keep up with daily needs. The food situation was critical and DSS can only provide a certain amount of aid. We provided two hundred dollars in food and supplies for this family for starters.
A woman referred to us by Community Action Agency for food. She and her husband were forced to leave their home in the northern part of the county as their oldest son got into legal trouble. When I first met her, she and her husband and their four other children were living with her mom in a two-bedroom apartment. She had previously lived for a short time with her sister but felt the conditions were totally unsafe as her brother-in-law is a raging alcoholic. She was working two part-time jobs as she had to give up her job in Baltimore when they moved here. Her husband was working at Value City as he could walk to work. They had one car. Her car was on empty; she had no money and was worried sick about getting to work the next day. We were able to give her food from the pantry, filled her tank with gas, gave her a gift card for other necessities and bought her an air mattress as she and her husband were sleeping on the floor.
