::Stories of Hunger::

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Skip is a 47-year-old man who moved from Chicago to Texas 25 years ago. Skip and his girlfriend have raised three teenagers who all still live at home. He works to provide for the five members of his household, but minimum wage can only go so far. “I’ve worked all my life, served in the military, but I just can’t catch a break,” he says. “I’ve got bills to pay and mouths to feed.” Skip says he does not use the Friendship Center in Texarkana on a regular basis, but it is nice to have the resource “in between paychecks, when food runs out.”

Skip wants people to understand that receiving food assistance is a necessity for many out there, and that he is very grateful. “Without this, most of us could not make ends meet. I would like people to understand that they are dealing with other people: flesh and blood with feelings. This is a need. We would not come if there was not a need; no one wants to be pitied, we just need help.”

“God bless you. I appreciate it. My family and I appreciate it.”

Barbara is a 57- year-old widowed retiree. In April 2003, Barbara’s home was destroyed in a fire and her husband died inside. She lost everything. “I went to college. We had a nice brick home, even and in-ground pool. My life took a spin and I lost everything,” she explains.  Barbara previously worked in the admissions office at a state university, as a substitute teacher, and as a clerk in a law firm. However, she now suffers from severe osteoarthritis and her only income is the disability she claims each month.

She had knowledge of the Salvation Army because she had volunteered and donated previously. Barbara turned to the organization for help and stayed four months to get back on her feet. “Where I came from, this was not expected,” she says. “I am not ashamed. These are the cards I was dealt. This is not for uneducated, drug users, or abusive alcoholics; this is for people that have been dealt a hand of cards that they cannot trade. We just have to keep living.”

Barbara currently lives in her own apartment and volunteers a minimum of five days a week at the Salvation Army. “Monday through Sunday, I am here. If they need me, I will be here. I may be disabled, but I can help.”

Barbara wants donors to know that their generosity is greatly appreciated. “A big thank you for everything you do and the happiness you inspire. Please know what either end of this cycle is beautiful. Giving and receiving food is a loving place.”

Gerald’s mother and stepfather live far out in Lufkin and only have one vehicle, so Gerald has to support himself. He plans to go on to college and become a psychiatrist. “I am getting ready to go to college, and I plan on working to put myself through. I enjoy working,” he says.

Receiving food assistance has been very helpful to Gerald. “Here, I always know I can get something to eat. It allows me to forget about the fear and focus on more important things like college and bettering myself. I don’t want to depend on the Food Bank for the rest of my life, but right now it really helps.”

Ever since she was 13-years-old, Janice had a job. But now that she is 73 and in poor heath, she only wishes she could work. She says she and her husband have tried to get jobs even after retiring, but both have major health problems that have kept them from working.

Janice and her husband were very successful in their younger years. They owned their own grocery store and gas station with a large vegetable garden in the back. Janice says she would always give fresh produce to anyone who looked like they needed it, and she felt joy in being able to do something for others.

But those days are gone and right now it’s difficult for Janice and her husband to make ends meet. She has had two heart surgeries and suffers from arthritis and on-the-job injuries she got at her last place of employment. Her husband recently underwent a painful and expensive knee replacement, which Janice is facing as well in the near future.

The only income they have is Social Security and even with Medicare they spend up to $500 a month out of pocket just for medications. She says they have had to start selling personal possessions to pay for medicine.

“Right now we’re behind on everything,” says Janice. “You can’t pay your bills and eat too.”

That’s why she goes to the Salvation Army food pantry in Lufkin, an East Texas Food Bank Member Agency. She says she only goes there to get food when they really need it. The rest of the time they scrape together what they can on their own.

“It has always been such a joy to help other people…I never thought I would have to ask for help,” says Janice.

But Janice, like thousands of other East Texans, does need a little extra help to get by sometimes. She is grateful for the gifts you give that put food on her table when otherwise there might be none.

“God bless you,” she says. “We are just so thankful for the help."

Tommy Ray has been volunteering his time and helping feed his family through the Salvation Army for the past 8 years. “I don’t take advantage of the system,” he explains.”I come when my children need food.”

Tommy Ray supports his seven children and diabetic wife with only his disability income. He was run over by a car while working as a taxi driver. His doctor told him he could not work, but he will not accept that. “Everything was good until the accident,” he says. “Right now things are downhill, but I will not give up. I am working hard in physical therapy so I can get back to work.”

Although he has yet to find a paying job, Tommy Ray spends as much time as he can volunteering at the Salvation Army. “I don’t just come to get handouts. I give back, especially working with children and senior citizens. At Christmas time, I am the only black Santa Claus around! The kids love it, and so do I.”