Nutley Family Service Bureau Food Pantry shows the face of food insecurity

My friends and colleagues at work and church tell me that I am always trying to be super woman, trying to carry the world on my shoulders. As a mom and wife, I strive to protect and care for my family of seven and provide my children what they need.
Unfortunately, circumstance has brought my family to a point that what I could do was not enough. My husband lost his job last year and since then has been working temporary jobs with brief gaps of unemployment. This created a snowball effect of never catching up to bills, being in danger of losing our apartment, and the quandary of how we were going to get our oldest to college — our oldest who had more than earned her share of achievements in school. It was a very stressful time and being a working professional, I felt embarrassed and humbled to ask for help. But God intervened, and I am so glad I did ask.
The help we have received from Nutley Family Service Bureau has given my family a moment to catch our breath, a safety net for the times we needed some food, school supplies and gifts for the children. It is quite something to see the relief in your child’s eyes when they see you come home with backpacks filled with supplies for the school year, or when you take them shopping from gift cards you received from “The Three Kings” at Christmas. My children know we work very hard and thus expect just what they need. It is a huge joy when they are able to once in a while receive what they want.
And my children, being older, know that help comes from this organization. My husband breathes a sigh of relief when there is one less thing to worry about, one more thing to be grateful for.
It shows them that kindness is very much alive and this, I hope, inspires them to do great things one day that will leave another family with that glimmer of hope we received.
Thank you for all you do.
To make a donation to the Greater Newark Holiday Fund, visit holidayfund.org.