Parents and caregivers across Central Florida are reeling from steep rent, persistently high prices at the supermarket and uncertainty every time they pull up to the gas pump. Tammy knows those feelings all too well.
“Food is expensive,” says Tammy, a single mom with a teenage son. “To get to work to make money to pay rent and buy food, I have to put gas in my car first. Sometimes, the food I can afford doesn’t last long in my house.”
Like many families, Tammy’s income has not kept pace with increased costs for essential expenses. She works hard to provide a stable home for her son, but sometimes it’s not enough. She stresses about being able to afford new shoes when his feet grow seemingly overnight.
On the weeks when there are more bills than money, she visits a food pantry near downtown Orlando to select the nutritious foods she and her son need. She fills a shopping cart with fresh fruits and vegetables, bread, meat, cereal and other nonperishable food.
“It feels good to know that there are people out there that want to help people like me,” says Tammy. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
