Cindy has lived in Oklahoma her whole life. A member of the Choctaw Nation, she has a full-time job working in a mail room and print shop. But making ends meet remains challenging, even with full-time work and food benefits. She worries over each dollar.
“I’m from the Choctaw tribe, and we do get a card. They started a food card, and it helps a lot. I do work, but I don’t make a lot. So like this week, I’m going to have $33 left for two weeks.”
Cindy admits to choosing between essential expenses as funds dwindle. She clings to small indulgences like coffee or milk to maintain normalcy, even as she lets her cable service lapse. Rising rents further strained her budget, and the loss of pandemic-era benefits was a huge blow. “It’s hard. It used to not be that hard. And then after COVID-19, it just went to heck in a handbag. Yeah. It just got so much harder.”
So when Cindy first happened upon the OKC Indian Clinic while waiting for her dentist appointment, she knew it would be a huge help.
She excitedly details her last food box’s contents: “Well, they had cream of mushroom soup, carrots, potatoes … a macaroni packet, the kind that has the crunchies on top … rice and beans … veggies … and I got a big old stack of potatoes.”
But no matter what she receives, it’s a help. “I do have a good job, but I run out of money. I don’t always get a food box, sometimes I just get the veggies or the fruit. But it helps a whole lot.”
Cindy is grateful for the help you’ve given her when times are hard!
Next Story: You’re Giving These Growing Boys the Food They Need
