Edward drove in from Edgeley, North Dakota, and waited in line for a half hour so he could pick up food for his sons.
In particular, his youngest son who lives in Jamestown was going through a rough financial situation.
The father of five kids was a victim of identity theft, Edward said.
As a result, he lost tens of thousands of dollars in savings. The 27-year-old could no longer use or apply for a credit card. He spent hours trying to prove that scammers were using his good name.
“It was really tough,” Edward said. “He’s been struggling every since.”
It took months to straighten everything out. In the meantime, Edward’s son lost his job and the family’s main source of income.
“How’s he supposed to feed five kids without work?” Edward asked.
For a while, Edward assisted where he could. He dropped off bags of groceries. This spring he planted a bigger garden than usual, in hopes fresh produce could help to reduce the family’s weekly grocery bill during the summer and fall.
Edward’s son and his partner eventually sold one of their vehicles to help pay bills. The decision made financial sense, but limited their mobility and flexibility. For instance, it was challenging for one of them to wait in a drive-through line for a food bank drop-off.
Edward volunteered to do it for them.
“It was the least I could do,” he said.
His son recently secured a new job. So far, Edward thought, the job seemed to be a good fit. Still, he expects it will take time for the family to get caught up on bills.
He pointed to the bags of food he had received from the mobile food bank that distributed in LaMoure: corn, potatoes, onions, zucchini, pears, and some non-perishable items.
“This will help,” he said. “Every little bit helps.”