Impact

“I don’t know how I would be feeding my daughter if it weren’t for these meals.”

–Ryan, a Kitchen Coalition prepared meals recipient

Ryan is a single father who has experienced homelessness and is caring for his two-year-old daughter. Through hard work and help from community organizations, he has been able to live in a hotel while waiting on housing for himself and his daughter. He is actively seeking employment, so money is very tight (and very difficult to job hunt while having a two year old and no family in the community).

Ryan has been to Rachel’s Hope, a nonprofit dedicated to helping families with young children in Austin and a partner agency of Channel One, several times recently. On one visit, he asked if he could have more of the prepared Kitchen Coalition meals so he and his daughter could get by for the rest of the week.

“When staff replied, ‘Of course!’, a huge relief washed over me. We are really struggling right now and I don’t know how I would be feeding my daughter if it weren’t for these meals. I am just really thankful.”

Ryan is trying his hardest and doing all he can to create an independent life for himself and his daughter. Having easy access to healthy, prepared meals while he is working his way towards that independence makes a huge difference.

“Knowing there is a place in our community that helps people like us brings a sense of comfort.”

–Emily, a previous food shelf shopper

Emily grew up in a family of eight. For about the first 15 years of her life, her family could not afford groceries and used the local food shelf for assistance.

“I recall as a middle school student I had to make my own lunches and often didn’t have much more than loose Cheerios. I remember sitting at the lunch table with my friends and feeling embarrassed. They had a healthy balanced meal, and I did not, which made me dread lunch time. Eventually, with help from the food shelf, I didn’t always have to feel that way. I want to say thank you to those who have helped people like my family and I in hard times. Without help like this, my siblings and I wouldn’t have been able to grow into the independent people we are today.”

“We’ve seen how much they can help, and we want others to benefit from them too.”

–John, a CSFP client

When we talked with John, he was celebrating his 78th birthday at home. John and his wife have lived in their current apartment for 12 years and have been recipients of the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) boxes for nearly two decades. They first signed up when they were in their early 60s, and the program has become a crucial part of their lives. “It helps us financially,” John says. “The food we get from CSFP supplements our budget, which makes a big difference.”

The monthly CSFP boxes come with a variety of foods, some of which are staples, while others might be new. And John is grateful for the selection. He has even built a community within his building with others receiving the boxes often getting together to trade favorite items.

“When someone new moves into our building, we make sure to let them know about Channel One and the CSFP program. It’s important for them to know about these resources. We’ve seen how much it can help, and we want others to benefit from it too,” John says.