Spread the Joy this Holiday Season! Donate

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Children and Families Are Grateful for You!

Sandy and her youngest daughter, Melinda, 3, share the same bright smile and happy spirit. With her infectious enthusiasm, you’d never guess Sandy is struggling, both financially and emotionally.

Not long after Melinda was born, Sandy’s mother-in-law — a cancer survivor in her 90s with whom Sandy is very close — was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. As her condition worsened, Sandy had to leave her job and is now her full-time caregiver. Her eyes well with tears as she talks about her mother-in-law’s illness. It’s so painful for her to watch her loved one’s health decline in this way.

With Sandy out of work, she, Melinda and her two older children — Chris, 12, and Anne Marie, 16 — depend on her husband, Christopher, to keep the family afloat. He works multiple jobs to make ends meet, and if he can’t get enough hours week to week, their family budget suffers.

It’s scary to not know how to feed your family,” Sandy says.

Fortunately, your gifts help parents like Sandy and Christopher every day. When she was in better health, Christopher’s mother used to attend Tuesday’s Table, a free community dinner hosted by Tukwila Food Pantry, a Food Lifeline member agency. She told Sandy about the pantry’s food distributions, and Sandy was thrilled to see how much fresh produce and other healthy food she was able to take home the first time she visited.

With the nutritious fruits, vegetables, whole grains and meat she picks up, Sandy prepares balanced meals for her children, husband and mother-in-law. Little Melinda gets so excited as she helps fill her mom’s cart — she squeals with delight when she sees bananas and fresh berries, some of her favorite foods.

When you give to Food Lifeline, you help rescue quality food that might otherwise end up in in a landfill so that families like Sandy and Christopher’s can enjoy things like fresh fruit, which is often beyond their budget at the grocery store. Sandy knows the Tukwila Food Pantry couldn’t provide this food without your support, and she’s so grateful you choose to share what you have.

Thank you for giving,” she adds.