Stories of Hunger

When you’re hungry and have nothing to eat, cold weather isn’t going to stop you from getting food. Terri braved the cold for the monthly mobile food pantry at Bread Shed in Poplar Bluff.

She wasn’t the only one. About 300 people showed up for food, some getting there in the wee hours of the morning even though food distribution didn’t start until 9 a.m.

“I got here at 3:15 a.m. and I was already number 23 in line,” Terri said.

In addition to food, Bread Shed offered shelter from the cold. Coffee and a small breakfast were served, along with a church service that lasted throughout the event.

Hale has been coming to Bread Shed for food for some time now after a stroke at age 33 left her with diminished mental capacity. She is on disability and receives about $50 a month in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, but it’s not enough. Food from the mobile food pantry helps make meals stretch throughout the month.

“I live by myself, and I’m just trying to survive. Being hungry is not right, not right at all,” she said.

Terri is thankful for the donors and volunteers who make the mobile food pantries possible.

“Thank everyone for this because it helps a lot,” she said.