Faces of Hunger

If you could see what we see...

Words cannot fully express the faces I saw ...read more

Melba says she is “old and broke” and living on ...read more

There is a woman, with three children, up front at the reception desk...read more

Today I was lucky enough to ...read more

The Good News Center is one of our member food pantries which distributes food on Wednesdays. Before arriving I was told there would be a line of people waiting to get food. The line was well over 100-150 people…all waiting patiently for the food distribution to begin. Words cannot fully express the faces I saw waiting in line to receive food. As I made my way to the front, at first folks thought I was trying to “cut-in,” but once I explained I was from Community Food Share, they seemed to relax a little. At the front of the line, just as the distribution was beginning, I asked the woman I was standing next to, “How long have you been waiting?” Her response: “I got here at 5am, so I can hurry and get to work, which I am already late for…”  The people I saw were seniors, young families, out of work men…many, many people in need, but what struck me most, is the fact that these faces are of people living right here in Boulder County! I couldn’t believe it. Hunger is occurring right in our backyard. One young man I saw, had to be close to my age, and I saw grass on the back of his coat…as he was filling his backpack up with food, I could only guess where he slept last night. Probably in the park. I saw another individual who had a wagon with only 3 wheels, which she was using to pull her food home…where she was going, I do not know…

Melba lives at Lafayette Villa West Senior Housing. She is on oxygen and has limited mobility. In her own words, Melba says she is “old and broke” and living on a fixed-income. With the price of food items steadily increasing, Melba does not have much money to spare to buy apples or lettuce at the end of each month much less anything else she may need. She is grateful for Community Food Share’s Elder Share program since, through it, she receives supplemental groceries twice a month. On her limited budget, Melba would never be able to afford the variety of food items she receives through Elder Share and she especially enjoys the fresh produce and delicious breads. Before health concerns caused Melba to limit her activities, she was one of the six volunteers who assisted with the distribution of Elder Share at Lafayette Villa West. Melba said she wanted to “give back to Community Food Share, which continues to be so good to her!”

There is a woman, with three children, up front at the reception desk, waiting for an emergency food box. She is in tears and has never had to ask for help with food before. Not only is she embarrassed, she is most of all very frightened about her unsure future and being able to feed her children, who are all under 10. Luckily, she will be able to participate in our Feeding Families warehouse program, beginning this week. This is the reality of the economic times we are living in.

Today I was lucky enough to meet an amazing woman named Aracely, and her three beautiful children. Despite the hardships she has endured, Aracely seemed at peace with the world, and even happy. I was genuinely humbled by her character and strength. Hers was not the strength of stone, shutting oneself off from their emotions in order to maintain. It was the strength that comes from the love of a mother, who after losing their home of 9 years to foreclosure, searched until she found a rental that would accept their pets because she couldn’t break her children’s hearts. Her family has struggled. There have been times when there was no money to buy a gallon of milk for the children. They went for 6 months without gas for heat (thank goodness for the wood fireplace!). They had to heat water on the electric stove just to take a bath.
Yet, she felt strongly that she should not ask for help, believing that there were people who were more unfortunate than her. This was her first visit to the food bank. Had it not been for a co-worker who insisted on it, she wouldn’t have come at all. Aracely came “for the kids.” They are a part of our Feeding Families warehouse distribution program. Despite the fact that both parents work, they are not able to make ends meet. Aracely works two jobs; in special education and in the ScoutReach after-school program. Her husband does odd jobs and works construction when he can. They work as much as possible so they can get caught up on their bills and get back on track.
Thankfully, things are looking up. Aracely was fortunate enough to be chosen for a Career Ladder scholarship, which will pay for a Para Educator ESL teaching degree. She is going to Aims Community College in the evenings during the school year, and full-time during the summer. She will have her degree in 5 years.
I asked Aracely how she had the energy to do all these things. She said she didn’t. She does it for the kids. I felt a great sense of joy and pride in having the opportunity to help Aracely feed her family. It filled my heart and made me feel worthwhile. It’s the kind of happiness that sticks with you.