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FEEDING HOPE: AUSTIN’S STORY
A moment later, a volunteer was filling Austin’s bag with fresh produce—pears, onions, celery, watermelon and more. It was the end of the month—when Austin and his family typically need a little more food than they can afford.
Like many, Austin uses a food pantry, the Medical Lake Food Bank, to help fill gaps in his family’s grocery budget. He and his wife have three mouths to feed besides theirs, and their incomes don’t always cut it. Austin’s wife is a pre-school teacher, and Austin, a former Apple employee, works at a production company seasonally. His family uses the food pantry more frequently in the colder months, when Austin isn’t working and stays home to take care of his kids.
The food pantry helps Austin and his wife stretch their budget—and ensures they have healthy food on hand. “We love the fresh veggies. Several times we’ve gotten meat that we’ve saved in the freezer, and we hardly ever have to buy bread.”
“We’ll take everything. We love fruits and vegetables.”
With hopes to one day be a high school teacher, Austin plans to get a Master’s degree in teaching in the near future. But for now, Austin and his family can turn to the food pantry for a little extra food and the peace of mind that there’s somewhere to go to get them through a tough time.
Agency Spotlight: House of Hope – March 17
House of Hope is a resource center located in Ione, Washington, at the very top of Pend Oreille County. This small house provides a lot of care and love for the communities of Ione, Metaline Falls and Metaline.
Pandemic SNAP benefits end: Understanding the impact – March 10
Temporary pandemic SNAP benefits have expired in Idaho and Washington. As a result, more neighbors may turn to their local food banks and pantries for support.
Ag producers nourish lives – March 3
All this month, Second Harvest is honoring the ag community and highlighting agriculture’s essential contributions to our shared hunger relief efforts.
Feeding Eastern Washington and North Idaho
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