Real Story: “He’s constantly hungry…”

Patricia Luna lives with her husband, three children and grandson. Her Food Stamps were reduced from $455 to $195 per month when her 20-year-old son enrolled in Phoenix University online college.  “He’s constantly hungry,” she said about her son. “Grown kids eat more than little ones. Two-hundred dollars a month doesn’t get you too far.”

She says she also worries about her diabetic husband.  “There are some days he just doesn’t eat,” she explained. “He’s working or doesn’t have time to come home, and now we can’t even afford his medication because we have to use that money to buy groceries. He needs to eat.”

Patricia previously worked as a hotel lobby attendant and now stays at home to take care for her grandson. “My husband told me, ‘You need to be here for this baby,’” she said. She also helps her daughter get to-and-from Del Valle every day where she attends high school and plays volleyball.

“I only need a little help. That’s why I started coming to the [St. Ignatius] food pantry,” she explained.

Patricia brings her whole family to church three times-a-week. “That’s the only thing that’s helped us stay strong— faith in God,” she proclaimed. “God is helping in every way he can.”

Can you relate? Share your story with us in the comments section below.

The Food Bank reaches out in Pflugerville and North Austin.

Thanks to Tom Ramsey’s generous donation of a 6,000 square foot building, the Capital Area Food Bank is able to provide more food and client services for families through the Reaching Out Center in Pflugerville and North Austin.

Tom, owner of Snappy Snack Mobile Catering, and his wife, Monica, were already operating a food pantry from his warehouse. Tom says he has a personal connection to those who need help and says he wants people to feel welcome. When client need started to increase, he decided to devote a large portion of the building to serving clients, and offered CAFB the opportunity to assume operations of the food pantry.  

Watch the video to hear what these first-time clients had to say about their experience with hunger.

CAFB is working to turn the Reaching Out Center into a model pantry that all Partner Agencies can learn from, including the addition of the CAFB Self-Sufficiency Program, scheduled to begin in the next few months.

To volunteer at the Reaching Out Center, click here.

Real Story: From the eyes of a nine-year-old.

Alex, 9, is the youngest of five children.  She says she misses her oldest brother who is in Iraq. Her dad builds houses and her mom works at H-E-B.  In her spare time she says she likes to crochet, knit, and make scarves for her friends.

Alex takes the bus from Dawson Elementary to Kids Cafe at the Boys and Girls Club of South Austin five days a week. She says when she goes home after Kids Cafe, she doesn’t eat anything else.

What’s Alex’s favorite part of Kids Cafe? “Eating! And, if you don’t eat healthy, you won’t have enough energy!”

Kids Cafes are safe, nurturing places where neighborhood children can go after school and receive a hot dinner, as well as help with homework from caring individuals. Click here for more information.

Real Story: Maria

Maria, a widow and single mother of three, relies on food pantries for assistance. She works as a caretaker in the mornings, and cleans offices in the evenings. Most of her income goes toward paying the mortgage on her home and bills.

In order to provide enough food for her three children, Maria must visit multiple food pantries every month. “Sometimes we only have tostadas, beans and a little bit of cheese.”

After paying her bills, she only has about sixty dollars for all her other needs. “I can barely afford to buy clothes and shoes for my children.” Maria says she needs to continue using food pantries until her children are grown and can support themselves.

We asked Maria how she would feed her children if there weren’t any food pantries.
“I don’t know what I would do! It would be very difficult for me,” she said.

I just don’t know.”

Inside look: Clients at East Austin Service Center

Karla Cantu
Agency Relations Director

On Wednesday, we served 221 households/908 individuals at CAFB East Austin Service Center (EASC). The line was long, which gave me some time to talk with the clients waiting patiently to receive food. Here’s a glimpse into what some of our neighbors in Austin are experiencing:

• Linda relies on STS (Capital Metro’s Special Transit Service) to get to the food pantry. Due to limited service, she takes the 5:30 a.m. bus to come to the food pantry (which opens at 8 a.m.).  She was given a cab voucher to get a ride home.
• Mary’s been looking for a job since February. She has one child and says she is thankful school started because her daughter gets free breakfast and lunch at school. When I asked how they made it through the summer with the extra food expense, she simply said they ate a lot of peanut butter and jelly.
• Juanita, a senior living on a fixed income, experienced a hard summer. Although she has no additional money coming in, she’s been helping her daughter financially who is on medical (maternity) leave.  As of today, they have six diapers left with no money available until next month’s pension check.  Juanita said her check is usually gone by the second week of the month.
• Jack walks three miles to get to the food pantry because he doesn’t have transportation. (Side note – you can call United Way’s First Call for Help (211) to find out which agencies offer bus vouchers.)
• Brenda’s a widow raising her 12, 9 and 3-year-old grandchildren, plus her 10-year-old daughter. She takes 10 city buses a day getting the children to-and-from school. The total cost for weekly transportation is $42. Brenda says she hopes the children will receive monthly student bus passes from CAFB Partner Agency, Communities in Schools .   

Wow, what a day, and these are only five stories out of the 221 households served today. 

Click here to volunteer at EASC.

Real Story: Karen Price loses her job and receives food assistance for the first time.

Karen Price recently lost her advertising job and is struggling to find employment. Besides losing her job, Karen also lost her health insurance and may be in danger of losing her car if she doesn’t find employment soon.

“This is rough!” she said. “I’m living month-to-month and I’m barely making it because I have a car payment, too. I’m $999 away. I cannot lose that car.”

Karen never visited a food pantry, until now. She hopes to receive food stamps (for the first time) and expects her benefit money to arrive soon. Until it does, she is grateful to get food from her local food pantry in south Austin. “I love the fresh foods you get, and I can stretch the hamburger meat for about a week, if I make spaghetti and tacos or hearty soups,” she said.

Can you relate to her story? Click here to find a list of Partner Agencies.

Creating a personal choice in food assistance.

Greg Plotkin, guest blogger on Change.org, posted a great piece this morning, ”A New Approach to the Food Bank Model.” He writes:

“Visiting the local food [pantry] has always been viewed as somewhat of an impersonal experience chalk [sic] full of long lines, barren walls and sunken faces. You show up, wait your turn and then, if you’re lucky, receive a few grocery bags full of post-expiration goods.

It is this routine that sometimes causes people to avoid taking advantage of a food [pantry's] services, even if they desperately need them.”

He also shares how food pantries are shifting from an “institutional” experience to a “super market style” to help create a more enjoyable experience for those needing food assistance. We agree. Glenda Shayne, CAFB’s VP of Community  Programs, shares the positive effects of a “client choice” food pantry that CAFB runs in east Austin.

“At the Capital Area Food Bank’s East Austin Service Center, each guest is greeted and escorted through rows and shelves of food. They can choose three cans of vegetables, and they have a choice from various meats and other high-protein foods, too. We see the success of this pantry in their faces. The “client choice” model also reduces waste associated with pre-bagging and, most importantly, promotes the dignity and respect of each guest who walks through the door.”

The East Austin Service Center serves more than 650 families each month. Click here to volunteer.

Do you know of a new approach to food banking? Share with us in the comments section below.

Real Story: Olea family struggles during summer months

Irma with her children, Rachel, John Paul and Pete

Irma Olea’s story is one of many reflecting the growing trend of hunger in Central Texas. She has four children and her husband works in construction.  With the poor economy, there are few construction jobs available.

During the school year, Irma’s children receive warm meals because Austin ISD schools provide free breakfasts and lunches to children living in qualifying households. With school out of session, and shrinking family budget, Irma was faced with tough choices. For the first time, she needed to turn to food assistance from a food pantry.
 
“Before the situation got bad, our family was fine with just my husband working,” said Irma. “I considered finding a job, but my paycheck would be the same as it costs for child care. I think our situation will change when the children go back to school in the fall. Summer is the most difficult time of year for me.”

According to Yvonne Seiders, Assistant Director of Nutrition and Food Services with Austin ISD, 63 percent of all students in the district qualify for free and reduced meal benefits. During the summer, all children ages one through 18, regardless of household income can participate in the federally-funded Summer Feeding program.  An area qualifies for a Summer Feeding site if at least 50 percent of enrolled students qualify to receive free/reduced price meal benefits.

“It breaks my heart to hear that parents are worried about providing food for their children this summer,” said Yvonne. “I wish more people knew about our program. The more kids we feed, the better our community will be.”

Transportation is a huge barrier for many families.

Since the feeding program is not offered at every school, families without transportation may choose to pick up bags of food from a local pantry, rather than sending their children twice a day to the specific meal sites. Across Texas, participation in Summer Feeding programs are low because of inconsistent outreach and a lack of organizations willing to sponsor sites.

Summer Feeding programs are up for reauthorization this fall, as part of the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act. Ask Congress to support Summer Feeding programs by:

• Increasing reimbursement levels and and assisting in rural transportation costs
• Reducing sponsor paperwork where possible
• Decreasing area eligibility from 50% of the poverty line to 40% (H.R. 540)

Learn More
Austin ISD Summer Feeding program sites

Real Story: Arthur Lee Ford

Arthur Ford is a native Texan and a veteran of the Persian Gulf War. His military experience left him with some mental health problems, and now, he lives in an all men’s East Austin boarding home.

Because Arthur is unable to hold a job, he visits the East Austin Service Center (EASC) to pick up groceries for himself and the other men in his house. Some weeks, he has to wait awhile (in line) until it’s his turn. He passes the time by singing for everyone standing outside. “They say I should be on American Idol!” he said.

Arthur says that waiting in line is worth it for the high quality of food and services he receives from EASC. 

“This is a good pantry,” he said. “They even cater to you. They walk you through and let you pick what you like! I think they’re doing a terrific job issuing so many people food!”

Looking for a Partner Agency near you? Click here.

Real Stories: Rebecca Salas-Fogleson

“Even though I struggle with my health, financial debt, and ability to afford basic necessities for myself and two young adult daughters, who live with me, I am happy,” says Rebecca Salas-Fogleson.

All three women in Rebecca’s household have physical or mental disabilities, making it difficult to maintain a decent paying job. Sometimes they have two incomes — other times, none.

The family depends on multiple food pantries for most of their groceries. At one point, both their gas and phone was shut off because they fell behind in paying their bills. Thanks to using the food pantries to provide their groceries, the family is back on track.

“Instead of taking money from our bills to buy groceries, we use the pantries. You learn to supplement your meals with what you get [here],” she said. Rebecca is especially grateful when she receives fresh produce, as they’re eating healthier after taking several nutrition classes. “I’m not eating as much sodium.”

Rebecca is eager to share her story with others, in order to create awareness of the struggle many people find themselves in. “I hope my story helps the Food Bank grow. I think it will be a long time before we [our community] won’t need one.”