Stephanie is a Pre-K teacher for Wake County Public Schools. She has a master’s degree in special education and thrives in the work she does with young children. She and her husband, Jon, are loving parents to 4-year-old twins, Jacob and Natalie. When COVID hit, they made the difficult decision for Jon to quit his job to stay home with the children because the cost of childcare was simply beyond their financial reach.
Still, they struggle to make ends meet. The simple—or not so simple—fact is that Stephanie’s teacher’s salary is too high for the family to qualify for assistance but not enough to cover their basic needs. “It’s hard to do everything right and still not be able to make ends meet,” she says. Stephanie and Jon often go without meals to ensure that their children get enough food. Assistance through Operation Nayhelle Food Pantry, an Inter-Faith Food Shuttle partner agency, has been a godsend for the family. “The first time I went, I couldn’t believe that they were serious that I could have such good fresh produce,” exclaims Stephanie. The helping hand with food support enables Stephanie and Jon to stretch their budget a little farther each month, but it is the respect and dignity offered by the agency that makes the real difference. “They don’t make you feel like a second-class citizen because you need help. It truly is awesome!”
Stephanie’s is just one of the thousands of families who make up the face of hunger in our community. In North Carolina, one in eight of our neighbors faces food insecurity. One in six are children. Since the onset of COVID-19, many of those seeking assistance are doing so for the first time and today’s inflationary economy has only extended the line of those needing hunger relief. Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’s commitment to provide a refuge to ease the burden of hunger for families like Stephanie’s remains strong, thanks to support from our community.
This holiday season, as part of our You Are the Heart of Our Community campaign, that support has been magnified in the form of a $100,000 match opportunity, funded by 4 Others Foundation and Oak Foundation. That means double the impact for all gifts made to the Food Shuttle, up to $100,000, made by December 31. Imagine the real change that can make in the lives of neighbors like Stephanie.
With your gift during our Holiday Match Opportunity, you can be the face of hope for families, children, and seniors throughout central North Carolina. Join us as we continue our mission to feed, teach, grow, and cultivate an end to hunger in our community. Make your gift today at www.FoodShuttle.org/Holiday