My name is Mary McBride. I am 28 years old. I live here in Hamilton County where I grew up.
After graduating high school in 2014, my boyfriend Justin and I got married. We had big plans. I would work and put him through drafting school. When he graduated and found work, we’d start our family. I always wanted four kids, two girls and two boys. Justin preferred just two, one of each.
Circumstances dictated a different path for our family. Life happened.
By 2018, our second daughter was born, and Justin’s progress towards a degree and a job was still over a year away. My dad got sick and, being the only daughter around, it fell to me to help my mother care for him.
We never planned to be hungry. We never planned to bottom out. It just happened. Looking back on our life together, it’s clear that we made some poor choices.
First, we couldn’t afford tuition, so Justin and I both took jobs. We planned to save money so he could go back to school the following year and we’d be back on track. Then the bank repossessed our car. We moved in with my folks but the strain on our marriage was growing with each week. We rented a small two-bedroom place up north. My parents would try to help us with costs, and I am so grateful for all that they did. We knew that we had to make it on our own.
The same week that Justin took a job in Oklahoma, I found out that we were pregnant with our third child. Now we are really in a jam, Justin’s out of state, I’m working, and my retired parents are on a fixed income and can’t help.
We didn’t plan to be here, and we certainly don’t want to be here. Then I found out that our soon-to-be family of five makes too much money to qualify for public assistance. We are literally on our own.
Boom! Then comes the pandemic. Fortunately, Justin’s job was what they call “essential” meaning he kept his job. I, however, wasn’t so lucky.
I can remember people telling me, “Mary, hold on, it will get better.” As much as I’d like to believe that, I’d see what was in the cupboard. Justin was sending home all that he could, and it just wasn’t enough to get the family to a place of stability. We were food challenged.
The next two years were very tough. I took work where I could. My father passed away. I learned about food pantries at churches and was fortunate to meet the wonderful people at the Good Samaritan Network. I don’t know what we would have done if it wasn’t for their support.
Fast forward to 2024, we are back on track, Justin works as a supervisor for a large manufacturing company here in town, and we volunteer providing meals to people in need.
I’m telling my story to inform and enlighten people who live in Hamilton County. Hunger is real, the struggle is real, and my family depended on the generosity of others to get us through. I never wanted to be there but if my story helps someone else, wonderful.
This story is a composite of several people’s stories. To protect their anonymity, we blended several stories together to illustrate the point. There are food-challenged neighbors in Hamilton County. Hunger is real in our neck of the woods.
Feeding Team provides a way and a place for those in need to get food for their family. While each pantry really is just a big wooden yellow box, it means so much more for donors and for families in need. You are welcome to join us as together we fight to eliminate hunger in Hamilton County.
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With over 47,000 food-challenged neighbors in Hamilton County, FeedingTeam.org is a registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that provides outdoor 24/7/365 no-questions-asked free food pantries throughout the county.
The pantries exist to meet the food insecurity needs of gap families, neighbors who may not qualify for public assistance and could use a few meals before payday. The pantries serve as many food-challenged neighbors as possible, and our hearts are with those who, like my family, could not always make ends meet.
Thank you for supporting the pantries. We love serving with so many neighbors across Hamilton County. In future columns, we will share more stories about how your generosity served neighbors in times of need. The face of hunger in Hamilton County is not what you may think.
In practical terms, this straightforward way to help neighbors is having real impact on lives, families, and our communities. Thank you. A few meals can change the course of a person’s life. A can of green beans means so much more when you have nothing to feed your kids.
Would you like to get involved? Volunteer opportunities are available. We are evaluating new pantry locations. If you think you have a potential location, please contact us.
Mark and Lisa Hall are the Founders of Feeding Team. They may be reached at lisa@feedingteam.org and mark@feedingteam.org or by calling (317) 832-1123.