More than 630,000 of our friends and neighbors in central and eastern North Carolina are one life event away from having to choose between paying bills and putting food on the table. Many of these folks are just getting by working two part-time jobs. Some are dealing with illness. And some have come to our area seeking opportunity, only to find more hardships.
This is the situation Preethi and her husband found themselves in this past May. They had moved to the Triangle area in January with their two little boys so her husband could take a new job. By the spring, he had been laid off and the couple were then both on the hunt for jobs. Luckily they both found new jobs toward the end of June. But without the prospect of a paycheck for another two weeks or more, Preethi knew her already stressful situation would get worse before it would get better.
Thankfully, Preethi was able to reach out to the Food Bank via Facebook, and we connected her with some of our Partner Agency food pantries near where they live. Preethi and her family were able to get the help they would need to get through those last few tough weeks, before returning to self-sufficient food security.
We are able to provide much-needed nutritious food to families like Preethi’s with the support of our community. And this coming September, you can take a small action each day that will help the Food Bank provide even more food to our friends and neighbors.
September is Hunger Action Month – a time when we focus on educating the public about the problem of hunger in our community, and the actions that will help alleviate food insecurity for folks in our service area. You can help us spread the word by visiting foodbankcenc.org/HungerActionMonth. There you will find our “30 Days in 30 Ways” calendar that will give you a small, but impactful action you can complete each day. There is also information to help you start a conversation around hunger and ultimately may result in helping families like Preethi’s through a hard time.
