“The financial struggles, the rent, would always go up,” Barbara said. “Just that bit of help with the food or with the electric at times was a Godsend."
When faced with caring for her aging father, Barbara had to make some difficult decisions. Being “on call” to respond to her father’s needs was a priority, but the constant disruptions ultimately caused her to lose her job. Shortly after, her father ended up in the hospital and Barbara became his full-time caretaker.
One day, at the church her father attended, someone told Barbara about the United Way funded food pantry at House of Hope. She started visiting the pantry once every other month for a bag of food to help her father. “Everybody has always been so nice. And the crew they have here-- everybody, from the front desk to the case workers, they’re all so kind,” she said.
With only her husband working and his paycheck to live on, Barbara turned to House of Hope for help with her own groceries. “But the financial struggles, the rent, would always go up,” Barbara said. “Just that bit with the food or with the electric at times was a Godsend, because it freed up a little bit of money for some of my medicine.”
Barbara’s husband passed away a year ago. One of the staff members, Yolanda, was able to help Barbara have her husband cremated and buried. “I don’t know where I’d be if it wasn’t for House of Hope,” said Barbara. “They’re just a godsend; I love them all so much. They do so much good in the community and this community it’d be lost without people like House of Hope and United Way.”
Project Hope and the food pantry through House of Hope are two of 47 programs funded by United Way of Martin County. Your gift helps Barbara and thousands of other Martin County residents who are facing hard times. That’s what it means to LIVE UNITED.
