“It’s a help!” Araceli says, nodding emphatically and smiling down at her little girl, Kayla, 7 months. “My kids are happy.”
Can you imagine how difficult it would be to explain to your child that you couldn’t afford to feed them? Araceli has been there before — but not anymore. That’s because you choose to support Food Lifeline.
We met Araceli at Tukwila Food Pantry, one of our member agencies near her home. She told us she had to stop working her job at a local hotel when Kayla was born, and it’s been really hard to make ends meet. But with the high cost of childcare, it doesn’t make good financial sense for her to return to her job. She simply can’t afford to.
Her husband, Yucten, works full-time, but stretching his income to cover all the family’s needs isn’t always easy. Money is especially tight during breaks from school when the couple’s older children — Christopher, 8 and Karlena, 11 — can’t eat free meals in the cafeteria.
It’s truly a relief for the family to have access to the food bank during particularly tight times, like the kids’ upcoming winter break. Christopher and Karlena love to read and play sports, and your support will keep them active, healthy and ready to learn when they return to the classroom in the new year.
Your gifts help provide life-changing meals and groceries for deserving families throughout the year. We asked Araceli if she had a message for the donors who help ensure the Tukwila Food Pantry’s shelves are full, and she took a moment to reflect on how much your gifts mean to her family before sharing her appreciation.
“Thank you very much for helping us!” she says enthusiastically.
