“I felt like I needed something to get me along for now.”
We spoke with Paul on a visit to an East Texas Food Bank partner pantry in November. Now in retirement, Paul said he usually visits the pantry once a month. However with the holidays coming up, he needed a bit extra to get by.
“My daughter and fiancé would normally be with me for Thanksgiving,” he said. “But not this year with the pandemic. We are all staying separated just in case.”
While Paul has not had any immediate members of his family affected by COVID-19, he did say that his daughter’s mother passed away from COVID-19 complications earlier this year.
“She was sickly already and by her immune system being down I think it took a toll on her,” he said. “It was tough to see. I was holding her hand while she was virtually dying.”
Paul said the food pantry serves a good purpose in the community and everything he receives comes in handy.
“I like the meats and the sweets,” he said laughing. “I have a bad sweet tooth!”
Paul wanted to say thank you to everyone that provides the food to those in need like him.
“You are doing a very good service to the community,” he said. “Without this, I don’t know what I would do. It’s tough out here.”
You can help us serve more families like Paul’s my donating, volunteering, educating others on our work and advocating for our programs.