Client Stories

Your generosity ensures hardworking neighbours like Kevin don’t go hungry

By Jenna Cura
February 4, 2019
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At the Food Bank, we hear from neighbours all the time. “I thought if I just worked hard, I’d be able to provide for myself and my family.” Yet here they are.

They work multiple jobs and still have to lean on the generosity of food bank supporters like you to feed themselves and their families. That’s exactly where Kevin found himself a few months ago.

Kevin worked as a manager for 35 years at various hotels. After 10 years in his most recent position, the hotel was sold and the entire staff lost their jobs. Kevin picked up temporary work where he handled fibreglass and mineral fibre insulation. He thought it would give him a way to make ends meet. Instead, it gave him health problems.

“After about 4 months, I started coughing a lot and had flecks of blood when I would blow my nose. It began to take a toll on my health, especially my lungs,” Kevin says. “I had to quit, and if you quit a job, you can’t get unemployment.”

Thousands of people in Mississauga live like this every day.

With housing costs continuing to skyrocket, one lost job or one health issue can take months or even years to recover from financially.

People like Kevin try to fill the gap with multiple parttime jobs, but it just isn’t enough. “Whether you’re working, on unemployment, or on Ontario Works, it doesn’t matter. At the end of the
week, everybody’s tight for money,” Kevin says. That’s why your continued support of The Mississauga Food Bank matters so much to our community. When our hungry neighbours run out of options, you are there. Your generous gifts provide nourishment and care through healthy food, school nutrition programs, job training, and so much more to help hungry families get back on their feet.

“When you’re down to hardly anything, the food is a big help,” Kevin says. Thank you for helping hardworking neighbours like Kevin all across Mississauga. Your generosity puts food on their tables and gives them the support they need to move forward.

P.S. This story appears in our Nourishing News. If you’d like to receive updates like this to your inbox, don’t forget to sign up for our email list!

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