Estella is 65-years-old and has spent her life living comfortably, working and raising her children and her grandchildren with her husband. She never worried about the lack of food in her cupboards or being able to provide enough for her family. After retirement and with her husbands passing, Estella found herself living on fixed income, taking care of her growing grandchildren.
“My husband passed away a year ago,” said Estella. “But I’m not alone; I’ve had my grandkids since they were little. My granddaughter is now in college getting her degree and my grandson is about to graduate high school.”
Estella has visited Our Community Hunger Center food pantry, a hunger-relief program of the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank a few times. When describing what the fresh food means to her family, she smiles broadly in appreciation.
“When I brought the food home last time from the pantry, my grandkids were overwhelmed with the amount of fresh foods I had like bananas, apples and kale.”
When asked about some of her other favorite parts of the pantry, Estella said, “I love the food—but even more I love the people. They make you feel so good! Nobody has to go hungry, and I just wish people weren’t too embarrassed to come here. I’ve learned everyone could use a little help sometimes.”