Meet Eloise
Eloise, a friendly woman in her early 60s, waved as she waited in line for a mobile food pantry in Stamford.
She shared how valuable this resource is to her, "It’s so expensive in the grocery store, sometimes you just have to say – do I get the meat or do I get the vegetables? You have got to make a choice. With the cutbacks now, a lot of people are going to suffer. I mean, a lot of us are going to suffer.”
We assured her that Connecticut Foodshare mobile trucks would still deliver the fresh, healthy food she relied on, regardless of the economy and any cuts to government food sources. Her face visibly relaxed and she smiled.
“I really appreciate it. I am so grateful. Every little bit of it helps, it cuts down on my food bill a lot.”
The Connecticut Foodshare mobile food pantries mean so much to Eloise - fewer harsh choices to make in her tight budget, and that’s critical as she has some serious medical conditions and needs to take care of her health.
“I could take that money that I was going to use on the vegetables – I can get some meat, you know, medicine. I just had two open heart surgeries. Fresh vegetables and stuff help. I didn't know the struggle until I got sick.”
Eloise is one of many who count on the fresh food from the mobile pantry. During a recent program evaluation, over 93% of mobile visitors who were asked said fresh produce was what they come to the mobile pantry for. Last year, Connecticut Foodshare distributed more than 5 million meals through this vital resource, and nearly 70% of it was vegetables and fruits.
“It's a blessing. The volunteers are wonderful. They make sure you get help. I can't say enough...I'm grateful.”
