CT Foodshare, Inc.

Basic Human Needs – Food Bank

Sarah is client at the Asnuntuck Community College Pantry in Enfield, CT: I am a divorced mother of five children. I was working 2 and 3 jobs, going to school, and dealing with therapy issues, because I have two children with special needs. It creates a lot of anxiety and I ended up sick in the hospital. It was overwhelming and I was in a horrible cycle. As a parent that makes you feel terrible, because not only can I not provide food, but my children are having issues at school and not excelling. Now I have a stronger foundation and I have different resources. My anxiety has gone down – which helps me be a better mother. Nobody wants to be poor…and it’s not because I’m lazy or had made bad choices. Life happens, sickness happens. Children are born certain ways that you can’t help. It can be a small hiccup, but it takes years to recover from. Being here there’s the emotional support that you need. You feel heard. And if someone can’t help you, then they’ll find someone who can help you. The support system is amazing. They tell you, “you still are deserving of these things.” That’s the spirit of Asnuntuck, it’s an empowering place. When I first started here, I couldn’t look anybody in the eye, and I always had my head down. I said sorry for breathing. And they empowered me, they believed in me. I hadn’t worked in an office before, I had no idea about computers. They said I could do this. We are people, we are not a number. Letting people know they are more than their situation, they are really good about that here. It took me a long time to ask for help because I felt less than. Sometimes you go back, but just keep telling yourself you can keep going forward.