For a while, Harley and his wife, Tammy, managed to get by. As a disabled veteran, Harley made an honest wage working a steady retail job for many years. He could also count on disability and Social Security benefits, which gave them a small boost each month to help cover their bills.
But everything changed when Tammy was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s. Harley retired to help take care of her. They thought they had saved enough money to stay afloat. Sadly, it wasn’t enough.
“We had it all laid out to where it was going to be OK,” he says. “Suddenly, after about six months, we went through all our savings. We went through everything.”
Then, their budget was pushed to its brink. Their grown daughter, along with her husband and their four children, also fell on hard times.
They lost their housing and moved in with Harley and Tammy when they needed help getting back on their feet.
The last thing Harley needed to worry about was how he’d feed his family. That’s why he’s so grateful he can turn to the Regional Food Bank Food & Resource Center (FRC) to access the nourishing foods his family needs.
When asked what it means for Harley to come to the Regional Food Bank FRC, he spoke to a harsh reality that many Oklahomans face.
“If it wasn’t for this, I don’t know what we’d be doing as far as meals,” he says. “I really and truly believe, if not for this program and the few others like it, that we might be homeless. Either that, or we’d be starving.”
What would they have done without your compassion? This is the impact of your generosity at work. Thank you for making a life-changing difference for families like Harley’s.
Next Story: We’re Caring for the Caregivers
