Real Stories of Hunger

Unlike a lot of kids, summer is not Iker's favorite time of the year. He misses school – the classes, teachers, and his friends – but he also knows that summer means no free breakfast and lunch, which he normally eats in school.

8-year-old Zoey adores animals. And when she grows up, she wants to be a veterinarian. But before Zoey can be a veterinarian, she needs to grow up healthy and strong. And for her family, that can be hard because there's not a lot of food in the fridge to feed everyone.

DeAdra wants a better childhood for her three-year-old son with special needs but can't always put food on the table while caring for him full-time. With her local food pantry, DeAdra is now able to provide healthy food for Dacian and herself.

Terri's great life suddenly vanished when her job disappeared and she needed help from the food pantry at her local church. Now that she's back on her feet, she's a regular volunteer at the pantry that helped stabilize her life.

Lamont’s life took an unexpected turn when an on-the-job injury left him unemployed and relying on the food pantry to help feed his children. Now, he helps other families get back on their feet as the director of the same food pantry.

Mikel's eight years of service in the US Army, including a tour in Iraq, took a significant toll. He suffers from PTSD and is disabled. He tries his best to help the family make ends meet. But he still worries about paying rent, bills, and food for his kids.

When the COVID pandemic hit, Christina Sung wanted to help in any way she could. Then she saw a Chinese translator was needed at the St. James Food Pantry. As a chef and Chinese-American, she jumped at the chance to volunteer at a food-based organization. 

Anne Lee and her family relied on income from their dairy cows in Upstate New York, but 2019 changed everything. They no longer were making enough money to keep food on the table. They turned to their local food bank for help so they didn't have to worry about food for themselves or their children. 

When the COVID pandemic reached Hawaii, Tony Wong Cam and his parents worried about their farm located in Wai'anae. But with the help of the Hawaii Foodbank, they were able to keep farming. Now, Huang's Green Leaf Products and other farms provide produce for their neighbors facing hunger. 

Gregory Gross is the executive director of Care for Real, a food pantry that serves the LGBTQ community in Chicago. Learn how Gregory and Care for Real make the pantry a safe and welcoming environment for our LGBTQ neighbors.

Sally Latimer, the co-director of the pantry, joined the organization in 2018 as a way to give back to her tribe. She also knows what it’s like to be hungry. After her husband passed away a decade ago, she became the sole provider for her family. “Every time I hand a bag of food to someone, it’s me giving back just a tiny bit of what was given to me,” she said.