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In the summer of 2007, Ozarks Food Harvest began passing out self-addressed, stamped postcards to its clients. The postcards contained one simple question.

“What is your experience with hunger?”

Hundreds of clients of all ages returned the postcards, and their stories are very touching and powerful. You can read the heart wrenching stories below.

Children’s Stories

“When I am hungry, I ask my mom and she says we don't have nothing. We're supposed to have a full refrigerator, but we don't. I don't like it when I'm hungry.” -Blake, age 7

“I go to my grandparents house, and they have nothing but junk-food. I tell them to go to the store and buy grapes, tomatoes and cabbage!” -Mercedes,age 8

“I feel like a poor person asking for food.” -Corey, age 8

“When I am like so hunger, I just say I want to eat right now and they say sorry!” -Jalissa, age 8

“Sometimes my family runs out of money, and we hardly have any food.” -Cecilia, age 10

“One day at home, I was so hungry. I was so mad, because I was hungry and I can't afford no food. So I had to wait until my mom and dad got home, and that was my worst night.” -Dyashay, age 11

“It’s hard to go without food.” -Jennifer, age 17

Working Poor Families’ Stories

“I work full-time and raise an eight-month-old baby! It’s difficult to pay bills.” -Christian, age 18

“Sometimes do not have enough to get through all month long and eat well.” -Kacey, age 18

“Going day to day is hard with one child and one on the way, and making ends meet with bills. My food stamps do not go very far, so I also have some family who supports me, but not all the time. I will get on my feet.” –Cathryn, age 20

“When I didn’t receive food stamps, I went one week without eating. I only ate one meal and would rather give the food to my children instead of myself.” –Tonya, age 23

“It’s hard to afford food with the rising costs of other things like gas for your car. Sometimes we have to use grocery money for bills.” –Shauna, age 25

“When you are trying to improve your life, it gets harder to pay bills and go to school. As you start to improve on your way of life the help and assistance is cut back, then you are back where you started.” –Renee, age 29

“As a previous single mother who worked multiple jobs in order to keep food on the table and bills paid, I often spent less than $10 a week on food for a family of four. Now I am married, a full time student, and even though things are still tight, with my education, I know my future and my children’s future is secure, and I feel hopeful they will never face the same challenges.” –Angela, age 31

“Gas prices to get back and forth to work is taking every penny I have for groceries and other things, so I make sure my kids eat and I do without.” –Treva, age 32

“At the age of 31, I lost my job, couldn’t get any assistance, had two young children and I went to the restaurant dumpsters each evening to get whatever food I could to feed the kids. For about 2 ½ months that how I fed my family.” –Kerry, age 40

“A lot of times we don’t have stuff to put a meal together. We eat a can of veggies for a meal or sometimes plain rice. If it was not for the pantry we would not eat at all.” –Rebecca, age 42

“Not having food makes me feel like I can’t take care of my family. I am a single mom who works for a school and laid-off 3 months every year. I recently found out I am a diabetic and now under Dr. care with no insurance or Medicaid. This leaves nothing for groceries.”—Robin, age 43

“I’m raising my granddaughter & trying to pay bills. I get food stamps but it is hard trying to pay rent & lights & keep my car fixed up & keep gas in it as high as gas is today.” –Donna, 47

“Quitting a fulltime job in St Louis and moving to Mountain Grove to take care of my 90 year old mother has been hard. I can’t work fulltime because my mom can’t be left alone. Also, being diabetic has caused additional stress on my food budget.” –Brenda, age 56

“We are on a fixed income with gas so high and medicine there isn’t much money for food. Utilities keep going up so we have to make some choices. We are thankful for the food pantry that helps us each month.” –Gwen, age 64

Senior’s Stories

“My mother was a single mother of three and times were hard. She did not have public assistance. She grew her own vegetables, and worked hard but food was scarce. Sometimes it was brown beans or bread and gravy, but we were loved. We was always ready to eat what was in front of us. We did not eat between meals. In the summer we ate wild green beans.” –Inez, age 65

“I am retired and only get 17.00 per month in food stamps. I appreciate any support of food or assistance I can get.” –Lucy, age 65

“Not enough money to buy much food.” –Maryane, age 66

“I have gone to bed hungry a lot of times. The pantry has helped a lot. We raised our own beans and potatoes but we had to save for winter. So if we had beans we couldn’t have potatoes the same day.” –Jean, age 69

“The help center provides a much needed service to the community to families and those who are living on fixed incomes. As the cost of living rises, the income don’t keep pace. The assistance received here is a necessary service to many.” –Shirley, age 69

“I have excess medical bills, glasses, broken back, large utility bills, more medication not under insurance. All I have is Medicare and $930.00 month. Car payment and insurance to pay, so I need help with food.” –Rahisia, age 70

“I have never gone to bed hungry, but as a child from a broken home, we had help from our church & family as far as groceries were concerned. I have known many people who have needed help and as an adult have helped them. It was a good feeling because many times it was anonymous.”–Jennie, age 70

“With a limited income, bills come first to keep a roof over your head and pay utilities, survival first- eat later.” –J.D., age 73

“The food pantry has been a great help to us. Many thanks.” –Raymond, age 75

“Go month to month, times we don’t have money to buy food.” –Dorothy, age 78

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