When Erin goes grocery shopping, it’s rarely a one stop trip. She has three kids to feed on her tight budget. Every shopping day requires trips to both of the two local grocery stores in order to get the best deals. She has to judiciously spend the money she earns through her childcare work and her SNAP dollars if she wants her budget to last.
Although she’s faced tough times — her 2-year-old daughter is recovering from a life threatening kidney disease — Erin doesn’t complain. She’s a serious woman, not quick to smile. But she doesn’t view her life in rural Montana as hard, because she has the love and support of her three children, and her extended family. Everyone lives nearby; it’s a small community.
"My oldest, he knows I'll break down and cry and I'll tell him. He understands."
And she’s honest with her kids about the family’s struggle with money. “My oldest, he knows,” she says quietly, reflecting on the emotional support she gets from her oldest son. “I’ll break down and cry and I’ll tell him. He understands.”
But things are getting easier on Erin’s food budget because No Kid Hungry is working with her community to improve food programs for kids.
By funding a new school breakfast program at the middle school, we’re ensuring that Erin’s children — and every other student — will start the day with a free, healthy breakfast. By funding a summer meals program, we’re making sure that Erin and parents like her in Browning don’t have to worry about their kids missing meals when school is closed.
When kids get the food they need, families like Erin’s are stronger and our future is protected. All across America, No Kid Hungry is helping to lift up communities.
Watch the story of the breakfast program at Browning Middle School.
