Miguel has a message for anyone who has ever wondered whether their donation makes a difference. “Any food that you think is going to waste, it does not go to waste,” he says. “There’s always somebody to take it.”

Miguel knows this firsthand. He’s 22, living with his mom, sister, and brother, and right now, they have no source of income. He had to leave school when it became too expensive, and the family relies on food stamps that run out before the month does.

“We go up until about the last three weeks and then that’s like, okay, now it’s not enough,” he says.

That’s where WestCare — a Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin partner in Milwaukee — comes in. When the family’s car broke down, Miguel started hauling groceries home by wagon, up a steep hill, in the summer heat. He nearly got heat stroke making the trip. But he keeps coming back, because the food he picks up here is what gets his family through those last weeks of the month.

Inflation has made everything harder. Things that used to be small treats are now out of reach. “Stuff that used to be snack food, I have to say no to the kids now,” he says. “You used to be able to get a bag of chips on the way home. Now it’s like, no, that’s $6.”

This holiday season, your gift is what keeps pantry shelves stocked for families like Miguel’s, who are doing whatever it takes just to make it to the end of the month.

READ MORE: Giving Back for What She Receives