It was a cool morning in May when Sharon timidly walked into the Twin Lakes Food Bank courtyard for the first time with fear and uncertainty in her eyes, and asked the volunteer greeter how she could get help with groceries.
Before coming to the food bank, Sharon made ends meet with her small Social Security check and income from a part-time job. She wasn’t rich or even middle-income, but she was proud that she could live humbly by her own efforts.
When Sharon started experiencing mysterious physical symptoms, she sought help from her doctor, who gave her a diagnosis she was not prepared for. Her declining health forced her to leave her job, and with no supplemental income, Sharon faced a vulnerability she’d never experienced before. It was a matter of only a few months when she lost her housing and had to begin living in her car. Sharon could have let this experience make her bitter. Instead, every week when she visits the food bank, she chooses gratitude.
Recently, Sharon arrived on a hot Thursday morning for the ready-to-eat food provided for unhoused guests and asked if we had any idea how she could keep her food cold in her car. The food bank didn’t have coolers, but we gave her a $25 gift card to Safeway where she could purchase one and some ice. Sharon covered her heart, closed her eyes, took a deep breath so as not to cry, and said, “Thank you so very much.”
Because of her health issues, Sharon’s diet is restricted, and fresh produce matters to her more than almost anything else — she loves the organic produce from our garden. She is careful to take only what she needs, always mindful of the other guests facing food insecurity just like her. Sharon still can’t quite believe that she is homeless and comes to a food bank. “I never would have imagined this could happen to me,” she says.
Sharon is hopeful that her health will improve enough for her to return to work and find a place of her own before the end of the year. In the meantime, we’re glad she has somewhere to come for food, support, and encouragement as she finds her way back.
