WHY

USDA National Hunger Hotline Stories

The Walking Wounded

Spring 2009

• A man from Coral, Florida called the Hotline after hearing the Hotline public service announcements on his local radio station. He proceeded to inform Hotline Staff that he was supporting his wife and brother but could no longer provide for the three of them because; he too, had lost his job like so many Americans in these difficult times. The Hotline staff recommended a food pantry in his area and informed him of government programs he may now qualify for, such as SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) and commodities or kitchen staple items from The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). Armed with this information, he thanked the Hotline staff and wished the Hotline staff well with their endeavors to aid the hungry throughout the United States.
• A man phoned in from South Carolina. He related the incidence of an increase of hunger in parts of his impoverished town. He took it upon himself to start a garden, with the hope that he would be able to contribute to the solution of the hunger and poverty eruption taking place in his hometown. The people that he helped began to tell other people and his supply was overcome by demand. He soon realized that he would need to supplement what he grew in his garden in order to keep his humanitarian practice going. He contacted the Hotline to request assistance. Hotline Staff was able to inform him of several places that would be of tremendous use to him. Hotline staff referred him to food pantries in his area as well as regional food banks that deliver to the local food pantries. With help from the Hotline he was able to keep his good works moving toward a better future.
• A man from New Jersey lost his job in New York City due to downsizing. He called the Hotline and explained that he had gone from a stable middle-class income to an unemployed victim of the financial climate. Hotline Staff organized several resources that would be able to supplement his unemployment income. He was made aware of food pantries and the SHARE program in his area. This would allow him a reprieve from his stress and allow him to focus on his recovery. He was satisfied with the help he received and the Hotline Staff hoped that he would pass the word along to any others in a similar situation.
• The Hotline received a call from a woman in Orlando, Florida. She had been given the Hotline number from the US Department of Labor. She was told that her unemployment check would take almost a month to process and she would have to wait for notification from them, letting her know when it would be available. The woman expressed to Hotline staff that she had no money and she could not wait for her check because she needed food immediately. Hotline staff recommended several food pantries to assist her in her time of need. She articulated her gratitude with a warm exhilarated thank-you.
• A middle-aged man from Garwoon, NJ is disabled and unemployed, receiving his only source of income from Social Security checks. He expressed that he feels stigmatized going to food pantries because of the fact that he is a single man with no children, and that it is harder for him to get help. He told the Hotline staff that he is in need of a hot meal immediately. The staff member referred him to several soup kitchens and alternative food pantries.
• A gentleman from Miami, Florida called the Hotline. He explained that he had been out of work for a year and recently payments from his current unemployment had been discontinued. He was about to lose his home to foreclosure and did not have enough money to buy a decent meal for his family. Hotline Staff assessed where he was living and proceeded to give him food pantries and soup kitchens for immediate assistance and directed him to the SNAP program, so that he could get on-going assistance to help feed himself and his family.
• A woman from Haughton, Louisiana called the Hotline because she and her husband were facing eviction from their apartment and needed to raise $350 by the end of the month for rent. She wanted to know if there was any way to get utility assistance in order to help with this problem. The Hotline staff recommended that she apply for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which assists low-income individuals and families with heating and cooling, and also suggested that the woman consider applying for Public Housing or Section-8 vouchers. As one of the millions of individuals who face housing insecurity in the United States, she was very thankful for this information and was on her way to working toward keeping her apartment.
• A man called the Hotline from a town just outside of Fort Worth, Texas. The gentleman left a message asking to be contacted by email or phone. Hotline Staff proceeded to contact him using both avenues. When staff was finally able to speak to him on the phone he expressed that he could not talk long because he was currently using a public phone at a restaurant. He needed to know where he could apply for SNAP. He informed Hotline Staff that he had lost his job one month before and was living on the street. He said that the only thing he had was a laptop. "Can you imagine," he said, "living on the street with nothing but a laptop?" Hotline staff asked the caller if he needed temporary housing information. The caller said at the moment he didn't. He just wanted food assistance information, so Hotline staff gave him information for his local SNAP office, the food bank that served his area and local food pantries.
• A young mother from Sanford, Florida contacted the Hotline, as she was concerned about being able to feed her 2 year old son. She recently lost her job and only had meat and bread in the house. She said she had assistance from Woman Infants and Children (WIC) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the past, but she needed to reapply for these government programs. The woman expressed deep frustration with the application process for SNAP, citing that she has dropped the application form at her local office's drop-box several times and the office repeatedly claims that they do not receive it. As a result, she chose to temporarily leave her son with a friend who received SNAP so that he could be fed. The Hotline staff provided information for several food pantries in the woman's area, as well as gave her the number for her local WIC office. The woman thanked the Hotline staff and was comforted that she could access food more quickly for her family.
• The Hotline received a call from a distressed woman in Marion, Ohio. She was hysterically crying due to the fact that her house was broken into during the previous night and a significant sum of money was stolen. While she earned too much to qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), she was afraid she would not make it until the end of the month and was worried about her family's well-being. She appeared to be embarrassed that she got into this situation. The Hotline staff member quickly calmed the woman down by reassuring her that several families across the nation are facing similar problems and that this is not her fault. The Hotline staff then referred her to local pantries. She profusely thanked the staff member and was more confident about her situation.