Ms. Marsh
noticed that Miguel was having difficulty paying
attention one morning in her first grade class.
He was bright and usually eager to learn, so she
was concerned. When she took him aside and gently
asked him what was wrong. In a sad, little voice
he answered, "It’s hard to pay attention
because my stomach’s growling. It wasn’t
my turn to eat breakfast today."
Miguel
now participates in Second Harvest Food Bank’s
Kids Cafe program. He comes to the center in his
neighborhood after school where he gets a snack,
help with
his homework, and plays outside.
Two nights a week he gets a nutritious
hot dinner. Because she can save the money she would
have spent on dinner for her children those two
nights, Miguel's mother can give both he and his
brother breakfast every morning.
Ms.
Elizabeth Ray is 72 and lives alone. Her only income
is from social security and a small pension her
husband left her. Her arthritis makes it very difficult
for her to move about, so she does not leave her
small apartment often. Lately, preparing meals has
become more and more difficult; and her health is
beginning to suffer because of malnutrition.
This week Ms. Ray began receiving daily home delivered
meals from a Second Harvest Food Bank partner agency.
A friendly volunteer arrives at her house midday
with a hot, nutritious meal. There is usually enough
for part of her dinner that night as well.
Sam
and Martha are married with four children, ages
6 to 3 months. They have come to Charlotte with
a prayer to find a better life for their family.
Sam is a machinist. He found a job quickly, and
they moved into an apartment. After a few months,
however, his shop closed; and before he could find
another job, they fell behind on their rent and
lost their apartment. The Department of Social Services
intervened and placed the children in foster care.
Sam and Martha felt lost and hopeless.
Fortunately, someone
at DSS referred Sam and Martha to a crisis center
that receives food from Second Harvest Food Bank
of Metrolina. At the center, they found people who
treated them with kindness and dignity. A counselor
helped them to make a plan to find jobs and a place
to live. The center would help them with some expenses
and with food when they found a place. Meanwhile
they stayed in a shelter and ate at a soup kitchen
that are both Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina partner agencies.
As the largest hunger relief charity in the Metrolina area, Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina works to end hunger. We do this by supplying a network of over 600 non-profit agencies and churches in 19 counties with food and essential grocery products.
