When the pantry was empty, SVdP showed up
Paula Bishoff is a proud parent, but circumstances have made the budget tight. After a situation she preferred to keep private, she and her husband have had to rely on disability benefits as their main source of income.
“There just isn’t enough money left after bills to feed my family, especially at the current prices that the store is charging,” she said.
To supplement this budgetary limitation, Paula has looked to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other local organizations for help. It was during that search that she found St. Vincent de Paul when she gave her local parish a call and explained her situation.
“They were very respectful and nice, very compassionate to my situation,” she said.
The Vincentians at each SVdP food pantry spend time each month answering calls from their neighbors in need, collecting food, building food boxes, then delivering those boxes so that families in tough times or moments of crisis don’t have to go the week without any food.
When they got Paula’s call, they put her name and address down and got to her place before the month was out.
“I felt very blessed when they showed up with food for me and my family. It made my day and alleviated my worries a lot… It helps to feed my family,” she said. “The prayer that I had with them was very touching and brought a lot of hope into our home for the next year.”
Vincentians also take the opportunity to be a good neighbor. They talk with Paula, find out what is going on in her life, offer emotional support and see if there are any other ways they can help.
As for Paula, the food box helped their situation, and thanks to the help of programs like SNAP, they were able to get through the next month without needing to ask for additional assistance. Then another unexpected complication, one that affected millions of Americans across the country: The SNAP disruption caused by the government shutdown.
Fortunately, she knew her community was united, and when she called, they were ready to help. She was able to get a food box from her local Vincentian volunteers just in time for her family and for the holidays.
“All I have to say is thank you to all the Food Bank Heroes out there that come to my families and many other families rescue at least once a month,” she said.
