When You Feel Seen
Recently a mom stopped by the Food for Hope hub seeking food support for herself and her older children. This type of visit happens often at our warehouse even though our program model dictates that all the food we distribute is through schools and school district sites. Typically, we can chat with the parents and connect them to our resources in schools. Or, if they do not have kids in school, we direct them towards other community food pantries. If inventory allows, sometimes we pack a one-time food bag for our visitor too. However, this mom stopped me in my tracks. The look on her face; the sinking of her shoulders; the effort she was making not to cry as she turned away when she saw the sign that food was not distributed from our office location. One of our staff members opened the door to chat with her and help her find other resources. When they made eye contact the mom said, “I’m sorry, I just saw you don’t distribute food here. It’s just that my kids and I have hardly eaten in several days”.
We invited her inside. The uniform she was wearing reflected that she had just gotten off work. She shared it had been a hard year. She stopped by hoping to find something for their family to eat that night. They were living in temporary hotel housing. Her 16-year-old daughter had dropped out of school to work so that they could have consistent food, gas for the car to get to work, and maybe a place to call home. We couldn’t solve these problems for her, but we could listen. And thanks to the generosity of our community, we had a large inventory of food. We were able to pack her enough food to get her through a few days, and then tell her about some community and school district resources she didn’t know about before. When she left, her shoulders were no longer hunched. She was standing taller, and she had food for herself and her kids.
I’m sharing this story because this woman is just one of thousands across Adams County currently in this situation. Working, but it’s still not enough. Struggling, but pushing though. Defeated, but not giving up.
At Food for Hope we believe these stories should be heard. We made a strategic decision a long time ago to go deeper into our community relationships to ensure we can meet family needs in the most effective and intentional ways. Our organization could easily serve more schools over a larger geographic area, but our services would lack the intentionality, responsiveness, and attention to detail that we can currently provide for our partners. We believe in better over bigger, and truly knowing the people we serve. This process means that it takes us a little longer to grow, but we believe the investment of time is worth it.
This holiday season, we encourage you to hear the story of someone that you encounter as you navigate life. Find ways to help, share, encourage, and share joy. We look forward to working alongside you in 2026!
