Heather admits she’s not the most likely person to wait in line to pick up food items at a local mobile food pantry event. She and her husband have good, steady jobs. She is getting ready to start her 11th year of teaching. Her husband is a veteran of the U.S. Army. But even with secure employment, food expenses keep going up for the family. They have three children ages 8, 6, and 2 and making sure all their needs are met can be financially challenging.
By participating in a Great Plains Food Bank Mobile Food Pantry stop hosted by the Amen Food Pantry in Dickinson, Heather hoped she could remove some of the stigma that comes with asking for help. Maybe she could even encourage others to take part. “You can pay $23 for eight pounds of frozen chicken,” Heather said. “That’s a problem.”
Three years ago, Heather didn’t think much about food costs. Now it’s one of the things she tracks carefully. In particular, she finds that fresh fruits and vegetables are expensive. Still, these are her children’s favorite foods. She anticipated the items she received through the mobile food pantry would help her stretch the family’s food budget for the month. “It gives us some grace,” she said. “It gives an opportunity to spend money on something else.”
With three young children, those “something else” expenses are many. Their youngest child is in full-time daycare. Family health insurance costs keep going up. The kids keep growing out of clothes. She also needed to budget money for back-to-school supplies. “Food assistance is beneficial for families with small children who are still growing. It’s one way we could assure they get good nutrition,” she said.
After waiting in line for about five minutes, Heather received cabbage, apples, potatoes, and oranges, among other items. She expected everything would be eaten within a couple of days. “We’ll plan our meals around it. Raising a family is expensive,” she said. “We can all use some help.”
Heather and her family could have been the subject of a Norman Rockwell painting. Her husband is a U.S. Army veteran, she has been a teacher for the past decade and the couple has three children – ages 8, 6 and 2.
But what likely wouldn’t have been communicated in a nostalgic look at a mid-1900s American Family is the current reality they face – they are in need of food assistance.
“Food assistance is beneficial for families with small children who are still growing. It’s one way we could assure they get good nutrition.”
– Heather