What does it mean to be hungry in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties? Why does an organization like Second Harvest Food Bank need to provide nearly 30 million pounds of food to the community each year? Who are the 156,000 people that the Food Bank serves each month?
They are us.
They each have a story.
This is one of them.
Meet Maria
Maria Romero and her family have been living in San Jose since 1986. Maria had worked hard in the same job for nearly twelve years, was married to a hard-working man and was the proud mother of three sons. When her elderly mother suddenly fell ill, the Romero family found themselves buried in medical bills and Maria was forced to leave her job so that she could care for her sick mother around the clock.
They Were Barely Scraping By
Although her husband continued to work as a roofer and her eldest son contributed as much as he could, the Romero's were barely scraping by and Maria was fearful that her youngest boys, now wages eight and ten, would have to skip meals and grow up faster than children should.
Maria is no stranger to hardship and sacrifice. When she was six years old her father died and she was left with the responsibility of helping her mother run a small family business just so that she and her siblings could afford to eat. Maria remembers cooking creatively so that she could stretch the little food they had for as long as possible.
Maria's Boys Don't Have to Grow Up Sacrificing and Suffering
Devoted Catholics and regular church goers, the Romero family learned of the Loaves & Fishes food assistance program because they have a distribution site at their church. Maria beams when she talks about the way that Loaves & Fishes had impacted the lives of her family members. Aside from foods such as meat, bacon, eggs and fresh produce. It is because of this program that they are able to keep their home and even more important to Maria is that her boys don’t have to grow up sacrificing and suffering the way she did as a child. Not only do the staff and volunteers at Loaves & Fishes provide nutritious food to the Romero’s, they offer an emotional embrace that is priceless.
Second Harvest Food Bank has proudly partnered with Loaves & Fishes for 25 years. The Food Bank provides an average 6,300 pounds of food a month to the Loaves & Fishes program, serving 1,730 people like the Romero’s each year. And we will continue to be here for low income families until the dangers of hunger and food insecurity are eradicated in our communities.
42% of the households who receive food assistance at pantries have at least one member under the age of 18.
The Faces of Hunger Aren't What You Would Expect
"I have to choose between paying for medicine and paying for food."
"I work 72 hours a week at two jobs. I make $16,721 a year and support a family of four."
"I like going to school because then I don't have to feel hungry at lunch time."
