My Neighbors Are Hungry.

My neighbors are hungry, scared and at risk of eviction.

Before winter break I joined other parents at our elementary school PTO to plan a food distribution effort for families who weren’t able to leave home to work or get groceries.

At first, our list was small. As the weeks went on, the list grew and grew.

This weekend we delivered food to 5x as many families as we did in December.

For the first time, several boxes went missing from doorsteps before the intended recipients got the boxes inside their homes. Their neighbors, who likely don’t have connections to folks able to help, were desperate, hungry, and likely took the food they saw because the alternative was not knowing if/when they’d be able to eat again.

We got new boxes out to our school families, but it’s gut wrenching to think about how many neighbors are sheltering in place at home without someone to check on them, bring them food, do their laundry, get them to medical appointments, and help them with rent.

My neighbors are hungry, and I can’t help all of them.  My neighbors are scared, and I can only assure them so much - there is no promise of safety in this environment. My neighbors are at risk of eviction, and I can only fundraise so many households’ worth of rent. The needs are overwhelming, but we are doing everything we can to help as many neighbors as possible. We need more resources and more help.

Help us keep our neighbors and my children’s classmates fed.