When Deborah pulls up to the Regional Food Bank’s Food & Resource Center to pick up some food for her family, it’s a zoo inside her truck — a cacophony of canines clamoring for attention.
She’s got two dogs in her lap, one of which is trying to jump out the window. A third pooch is sniffing around in the back, curious about the boxes and bags of food that a volunteer has just loaded. The dogs, all rescues, are a blur of fur and motion.
One observer tells Deborah the situation looks like something right out of a TV sitcom. She laughs and says, “My life is like that!”
Her sense of humor is intact despite difficult circumstances in recent years. She lost her husband in 2016, and she lives in chronic pain with fibromyalgia and degenerative disc disease.
Additionally, Deborah lost most of her life savings when the family business went bust during the pandemic. “We lost everything,” Deborah says. Today she gets disability income but no SNAP benefits, and money typically runs out before the end of the month.
“It’s been hard,” Deborah says. “I’m just trying to rebuild my life.”
On this particular day, she’s picking up food for herself and her son’s family, which includes five adopted children. “It’s hard,” she says, “with so many mouths to feed.”
Most people who come to the Food & Resource Center go inside to shop for themselves. But because of her disability, Deborah asks volunteers to bring the food out to her vehicle.
“They’re able to help me,” Deborah says. She never knows what she’s getting till she gets home and unpacks the boxes and bags. “It’s a good variety,” she says. “And it helps a lot, absolutely.”
Deborah is grateful for your compassion. If you are able, make another donation today.
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