Our Impact

In Charleston, Stephanie is doing everything she can to keep her two young children, Malachai, 5, and Atlantis, 4, healthy and fed. A single mom, she worked hard for years in hotels, retail stores, gas stations, and even construction, whatever it took to provide for her family. But after a recent injury, she’s unable to work for now and relies on food assistance to make sure her kids don’t go hungry. “It’s not about me, it’s about my children,” she said. “I know how to go a couple of days without eating, but children can’t. They need three meals a day and good nutrition.”

Stephanie receives SNAP and a little help from WIC, though her daughter will age out of that soon. She stretches every dollar as far as possible, but it’s often not enough to get through the month. That’s when she turns to Southeast Missouri Food Bank to fill the gap.

“If it wasn’t for SNAP or the food bank, we wouldn’t be able to eat,” she says. “My kids love chicken, pork chops, eggs; my daughter’s a big vegetable eater. I try to make sure they have enough to eat.”

For Stephanie, SNAP is more than a government program: It’s a lifeline. It means her children have full stomachs, energy to play and learn, and a mother who can breathe a little easier knowing they won’t go to bed hungry.