Ida lives with her daughter and four beautiful grandchildren. They both work, but their income isn’t always enough to secure healthy, reliable food.

People know her as “the grandma of the world” because she loves everybody as if they were her own grandchildren.

“The women of my family taught me that community is everything,” she shares. “I am sure that they would be proud of me because I have carried on the tradition of loving people through food.”

Ida always invites neighbors to join in family meals. “It lets them know that they’re not forgotten, that somebody is thinking of them, and that somebody cares,” she said.

This year, Ida visited the Mobile Food Pantry Program where her family received food that she could use for her holiday meal. She is looking forward to making a big meal for her daughter and grandchildren.

“Holidays are important to me because they are all about family and laughter. I wasn’t always able to prepare a holiday meal for my family,” she shares. “I can remember wondering where we were going to get food. And, I can still hear my grandmother saying, ‘Baby, it’s never about how much food you’ve got. It’s about what you do with it.’”

Your generous support ensures food for thousands of holiday meals for neighbors like Ida and her family.

We couldn’t ensure holiday meals for neighbors like Ida and her family without wonderful partners like you. Here’s a sampling of others who are generously supporting our hunger-relief work:

• Costco
• Compeer Financial
• Kwik Trip
• Lloyd K. Johnson Foundation • Ordean Foundation

Bethany recently received custody of her two grandchildren. “It’s been a hard year, but we’re thankful,” she shares. “We have something to eat. We have a roof over our heads.”

Her daughter lost her job a few years back and hasn’t been able to provide for Jessica, 4, and Branden, 3. Bethany appreciates the support she receives from the food shelf which helps them make ends meet and allows her not to have to choose between paying for heat or food.

“Things are very tight, so just being able to know that I can come here and get something extra to tie us over for the month is a blessing,” she shares.

With the winter months upon us, we’re grateful for your support of neighbors like Bethany and her two grandchildren. You provide heat, food and hope during the holiday season.