Our Impact

At a senior hunger mobile distribution in Charleston, Ray was first in line. A volunteer had informed him about the event, and he hoped to receive items that were easy to prepare. Ray’s wife of 67 years passed away last year, and he has been adjusting to life on his own.

“I like things I can microwave,” he said.

Ray worked at Brown Shoe Company in Charleston for 40 years. When it closed, he spent several more years working for another company before retiring. He had anticipated a comfortable retirement, but rising grocery prices have made things more challenging.

“I look for sales on food,” he said. “But sometimes there still aren’t any good deals. I just buy what is cheapest.”

Although this was Ray’s first time at a mobile distribution, he had visited a local food pantry a few times before.

“This is a wonderful thing for me,” he said. “It’s hard to think there might be people going without food when they can get help.”