One Mother’s Fight: How to Help Families in Need This Holiday Season
Six-year-old Zoey knows how to make scrambled eggs. According to her, it’s simple enough. She describes how she cracks an egg with just one finger and uses a fork to whisk them before pouring them into the pan. In her blue printed dress and cowboy boots, at home in her kitchen, all you see is a youngster with a big smile on her face who is not shy at all. You’d never know how much her mother, Melissa, fights to ensure there is enough nutritious food in her life.
A Mother’s Job
Melissa lives in San Ysidro with her two daughters, 16-year-old McKenzie and six-year-old Zoey. She has been through a lot this year alone: the whole family got COVID, she experienced financial setbacks after missing work when the family was sick, and now the worst of all: a cancer diagnosis. These challenges are in addition to being a survivor of an abusive relationship. This is a woman who is a fighter who puts her kids first no matter what.
Feeding San Diego food recipient Melissa and her daughter Zoey (age 6) in their home
“There’s been times, in the past, where I’ve chosen not to eat so that Zoey can eat and make sure she was full. I bought and cooked all of us a meal, and she wanted more, and there wasn’t any. So, I let her have mine. As long as she was full and went to bed and her stomach was full, that was fine. I could eat tomorrow,” she shares.
“That’s a feeling that I’m sure a lot of people feel. That’s a mother’s job. The kids are taken care of, and you come later.”
A Little Support Goes a Long Way
Melissa learned about Feeding San Diego’s Together Tour drive-through food distribution at Southwestern College through her victim advocate. She has attended a handful of times to receive fresh produce, pantry staples, and frozen protein. To her and her family, the ability to quickly and easily drive through to access no-cost groceries makes a huge difference in their lives.
“Leaving the Feeding San Diego events, it’s like a weight lifted off your shoulders and the feeling of ‘Today is going to be a good day,’” Melissa says.
“Oftentimes, I will buy food over paying a bill and just let it be late. It’s not ideal, but I’ve done it. It’s tough when there’s not enough, and you have to make the decisions,” she tells us. “With gas going up, obviously you need gas to go to work, to take the kids to school, to go to the grocery store and doctor’s appointments. The next is you have to eat. Everything else, you just kind of make it work. With the Feeding San Diego distributions, I’m able to put a little bit less toward the grocery bill and put it toward my electricity bill or an event my daughters want to go to.”
Melissa in her kitchen
These choices are more than tough – they’re nearly impossible. With the cost of basic necessities like housing, utilities, and gas at soaring rates, families right here in San Diego are having to decide between paying a bill or buying food. Melissa is just one example, and she now faces her biggest fight ahead. About a month ago, she received a devastating cancer diagnosis that she is now facing head-on. Despite all the challenges that Melissa has stacked against her, she remains optimistic.
“Throughout my life, I’ve been through a lot that should have broken me. And here I am. The odds are against me with the cancer, but it’s not about me. It’s about my kids. They need me, and I’m just not ready to go yet.”
Help Families Like Melissa’s
This holiday season, you have the opportunity to help families like Melissa’s. By donating, you can help give hope and share joy with families in need. Visit our Give Hope, Share Joy campaign page to find out how to get involved or donate now. Every dollar you donate means two nutritious meals for people in your community.
