One bright Monday morning in Duquesne finds us celebrating Sandra, a member of the Munhall community whose life is just beginning to return to normalcy after nursing a broken leg for nine months.
She beams at us from the front seat of her vehicle, detailing how the food she receives at distributions is supporting her as she recovers.
“When I’m back in my house, it’s very helpful to have that extra little boost of food. [With it,] you don’t have to worry about stuff so much. You just get the things to round out the meal basically.”
Sandra explains that she not only uses the food to supplement her own diet, but to support her daughter and grandson. “I had some food stamps come in too, so that helps immensely. But I have two handicapped people living with me. I have my daughter, my adopted daughter, she has cerebral palsy, and her son, he has cerebral palsy also.”
Most significant to Sandra’s family is her ability to attend distributions from the safety and comfort of her car, which has provided Sandra with a critical avenue to access food.
Specifically, receiving food at the Food Bank’s contactless distributions has eased the concerns that have arisen for her as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Everything’s been affected by the COVID. [I] judge [my] trips to the grocery store even because [I] don’t want to go when it’s crowded, because [I] don’t want to have somebody breathing on [me]. And [I] get a little paranoid. [I] really do.”
Furthermore, attending these events in her own vehicle allows her to look after her healing leg while securing enough food to nourish her family.
To those who have contributed to events such as these, she offers an ardent and sincere “thank you.”