Letter From the President and CEO
So many holidays begin around a table. Whether enjoying a favorite family recipe or trying something new, memories are often created and relived right there with friends and loved ones.
But the truth is, the season feels different when the budget doesn’t stretch. Rising grocery costs mean a neighbor working full time can still come up short at the end of the month. One unexpected expense can drain the food budget of an older adult on a fixed income. For many of our neighbors, the holidays bring joy and worry at the same time.
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Three Meals a Day, Six Mouths to Feed
Karla cooks three times a day, every day. With a household of six, including four kids ranging from 2 to 17, and a husband whose concrete work slows down significantly in the winter, keeping everyone fed is a full-time job.
“In wintertime, my husband gets really low on work,” she says. “It’s no work in his work.”
That seasonal slowdown is when things get hardest, and when the choice between paying a bill and buying groceries becomes very real.
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At 22, Miguel Is Carrying More Than Groceries
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.
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Giving Back for What She Receives
For Deb, giving back and getting help aren’t opposites. They’re just part of being a neighbor. Every Monday and Wednesday, she shows up at Sheboygan County Food Bank to volunteer, and every month she relies on it to help stretch her family’s budget, too.
A real estate agent and property manager with two kids still at home, ages 9 and 17, Deb knows firsthand how quickly things can get tight.
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