Stephanie was optimistic about her future. She entered medical school, even though her only income at the time was her student loans. She knew she’d have the resources to pay them back once she was practicing medicine and lived frugally in the meantime.
Then an unexpected accident occurred while she was biking to class, she was hit by a car. “All of a sudden I had more bills than I could pay,” she shares. “I had my emergency room visit, follow up appointments, and I had to put my expenses on a credit card. It was overwhelming.”
After 5 days of eating rice with ketchup for her daily meal, she reached out to our Food Shelf. “The volunteers and staff were so welcoming, and I received great food like fresh produce, some dry goods and even chips and salsa.” she shares with a laugh. “Life didn’t feel as stressful, it felt normal again which was really important to me.”
“At first I felt like I shouldn’t be someone who needed food,” Stephanie shares. “I got over my guilt thanks to the kindness of those who supported me.”
Stephanie is now a successful anesthesiologist at a local medical center. Your support allowed her to get back on her feet after a brief crisis and now she’s able to pay it forward. “I see people in our community who don’t have enough healthy food to eat,” she shares. “That’s why I give to Second Harvest. They supported me and now I can support others.”