Real Hunger. Real Voices. (VIDEO)

Hunger is a very real issue that real people deal with every day. Despite being one of the wealthiest states in the nation, Marylanders from all walks of life find themselves in need of food assistance from time to time, for a variety of reasons. Hear from two people who have used the food assistance safety net, but for different and personal reasons.

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Video Transcription

Sue
Five years ago, I don’t think I would have thought that I would need help.

Tom
I have a 17-year-old daughter. My son, Zachary, plays basketball, and I have two twins, Adam plays basketball and soccer, and Emily loves theater and dance.

Sue
I work at a pharmacy. My daughter, she works at a daycare. She helps with the bills also. And it still, it’s not easy. I know some families that have three and four jobs and are still just making it.

Tom
Things have always gone okay. I mean, you don’t have a lot of excess but you have enough to pay your bills and put food on the table. But, if that suddenly goes away…

Sue
Life has unexpected challenges. You don’t know what’s going to happen.

Tom
We were getting ready in the morning to get the kids off to school and I heard this rumbling noise and I didn’t know what it was. It just got louder and louder, and the kids started to scream. We heard this crash and then we heard the house vibrate. It sounded like an earthquake. An 18-wheeler was behind our house and had been cut off, and it spun out and it knocked our fence and drove into the basement and put us out of the house for eight and a half months.

That was a point where things started getting a little bit more chaotic in our life. You think, “Hey, things will get better, you know, if I just get over this hump.” Things didn’t really get better. Business started changing. We were constantly running behind on bills. Our house slipped into foreclosure. Someone said, “Look, it sounds like you’re really going through a difficult time. Why don’t you talk to my connection here at the Food Bank and they can make a difference.”

Marge
I just don’t want to see anybody sitting there hungry. We have a lot of the working community coming in now, which is much different than what it was in the years past. And when they have to make a choice to pay the rent, the mortgage or the car payment, they go into the grocery store, they can’t afford celery anymore.

This program here, it alleviates all that extra money by providing them those things that they can’t normally buy.

Sue
I really didn’t expect to get the food that I got.

Tom
In addition to the fruits and the vegetables, she actually had chicken and pulled pork.

Marge
The Maryland Food Bank gives us the meat that we need. They help with fruit, fresh vegetables.

Sue
I don’t think a lot of people could make it without the Food Bank. Without them and their support, I tell you, it wouldn’t be easy.

Marge
Many, many years ago, I was that working mom raising children alone. The Food Pantry made me feel that you shouldn’t be ashamed to come in for help. This is my way of giving back to the community. I am repaying for everything they did for me, and I want everyone to feel as good as I do now.

Tom
I would love to be in a situation, after having had this experience where I can help people. I’ve had multiple interviews and may be closing in on something here. That’s our aim, to get back on track, be able to provide for ourselves and then give back what the Food Bank has given us.