By Erin Lee | Corporate Relations Manager
Navy veteran, Dan, was working as a chef at one of the best restaurants in Boston when a devastating illness made it impossible for him to work. He and his family found themselves with little income as their expenses increased. His story is like so many others in eastern Massachusetts, where one in nine people are facing hunger. Dan and his family get the groceries they need from The Open Door pantry in Gloucester, where most of the food is provided by The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB). This includes fresh fruits, vegetables, sources of protein and other nutritious staples that are so important to his growing children as well as to his own recovery.
“My wife, Tammy, noticed a mole that was changing, and made me go and get it checked. Diagnosis: melanoma. Nasty, nasty stuff.
I had to stop working at the restaurant, and Tammy had to quit her job to care for me and manage everything for our three kids. Nine operations and months and months of hard recovery later, our savings – even all our retirement money – was gone. Like that!
What do you do when you can’t afford enough food to feed your kids? Where do you go? I can deal with cancer, but I can’t deal with my children going hungry. We never thought we would need a food pantry, but there are hundreds of thousands of people like us out there.
We didn’t want to, but we had to reach out for help. At The Open Door pantry, we get fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, and staples like bread, pasta and milk. It makes all the difference. The Open Door is designed to make their clients feel comfortable and have a “shopping” experience that doesn’t feel like they are at a food pantry.
My last three scans came back clean, so health-wise it feels like I’m on the track back. They say it’s not how you fall, but how you get back up. Not letting anything beat you. I’m living for my kids, really. It’s important for everyone to know that help is available, and how important it is. To all the donors who make it possible to get the help we need, I just want to say thank you. Thank you very, very much. You are amazing.”
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By Erin Lee | Corporate Relations Manager
By Erin Lee | Corporate Relations Manager
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