Hunger in Our Region Not everyone lights up at the sight of cabbage, but for 49 year-old Sean, he sees the potential to cook up a pot of haluski. The Swissvale native says cooking is close to his heart since his mom taught him how to cook.
“I got all the recipes [from my mom].”
For Sean, the food bank’s onsite pantry is a valuable resource as he rebuilds his life.
“I had a landscaping company, but I fell and twisted my knee, and my leg is two inches shorter than the other one. So, it’s really messed up now. Oh my gosh. So, I can barely walk half the time.”
The injury pushed Sean into financial ruin alongside a struggle with substance abuse.
“That was my only source of income, so I had to move back with mom for a while and then I started taking care of her and then trying to still pay all my bills.”
Sean says his rock bottom was when he eventually became homeless and developed an infection in his spine which led to a stay at the hospital. But since then, things have been looking up. Sean is in a housing program and four years sober. He has started the process of filing for social security and disability, but in the meantime, the Food Bank has been a staple in helping him rebuild his life.
“I’m just trying to figure out what God’s plan is for me, because it’s not easy in limbo right now. [The food] It means a lot. The Food Bank-they’re doing more than just feeding people. You know what I mean? They keep people together.”