Stories

Colleen, Pantry Client, 2020

I never had much to do with the food pantry. You know, around the holidays we would contribute to the food drive at my kids’ school or the church. But, I didn’t even know where the pantry was. 

It wasn’t until my brother was in an unthinkable situation that the pantry became a part of my life. All of the sudden he found himself the single father of two young teenage girls. It was a situation none of us could have imagined 

As you can imagine, the pandemic complicated things. Living on a small island off of MDI, my brother couldn’t get to the mainland for groceries. And, like many folks who rely on our tourist economy, he has to earn enough during the summer to last through the winter. As the captain of a boat, his hours were drastically reduced. 

Suddenly, between my mom and me, we were buying all of his groceries. Because, well, you can’t let your brother not eat. 

After months, we were reaching the breaking point. I began to realize that I couldn’t continue buying groceries for my brother’s family while also buying my own. We needed some help. We needed another way. That’s when I found the pantry. 

It was hard to make that first step, to go to the pantry. But when I did, I realized I was standing alongside regular people who just needed a little help. That I was a regular person who just needed a little help. And I have received nothing but kindness, generosity, and respect. 

I don’t know what I would have done without the support and connection I’ve found at the pantry. We hope that things will pick up soon. But for now, having support from the pantry, it just peels away one layer of worry for my family.