Cars lined up almost a mile long in the streets of Grandview with people waiting for Second Harvest’s Mobile Market food distribution to begin. Sitting in their white Ford pickup, Joel and Maria have been waiting for over an hour.

This is their first time attending a Mobile Market event, and their relief is visible on their faces. “A friend told us about it. I don’t even know what we’ll be getting, but I’m already so happy this is here,” Maria said. Joel followed up with, “I’m happy she told us to come early!”

Both Joel and Maria are still working, but at very reduced hours. Joel works in landscaping, and business has been much slower than normal this year. Maria is a house cleaner and says, “There’s only about a quarter of the houses I usually clean. It’s been very hard.”

“This is an answer to our prayers. thank you so much, and god bless you.”

They’re grateful that Joel’s mom, Esther, lives with them and can help with their two kids – ages two and four. It’s allowed Joel and Maria to be more flexible picking up odd jobs or helping friends for some extra cash. But, even with the extra help, it’s been a difficult year. The odd jobs have started to slow down, and the bills have begun to pile up.

“We’re really scared because it seems like this will never end,” Maria said. They’re worried that if things don’t change soon, they’ll have to move to Texas to live with Maria’s brother. That’s why they’re so relieved to be receiving help from Second Harvest today. “This is going to be so helpful. Thank you, thank you.” Joel said.

“This is an answer to our prayers,” Maria said. “Thank you so much, and God bless you.”