April 7, 2009
VOICES OF FOOD LIFELINE - RICHARD
It’s a windy, rainy day in Seattle. This is typical weather for the Puget Sound area, and a Seattle-area meal program is packed with people anxious to receive some wholesome, warm food. Richard is one of these people, waiting in line to get his helping of potatoes and protein-packed sausage. Richard is 50-years-old, he wears a baseball cap to keep the rain off his head, and he visits this Food Lifeline-supported meal program on a fairly regular basis. Richard lives in his van, and knowing what others have to endure, he says “I feel pretty fortunate that I [have] a van to sleep in.”
After losing his job due to a bike injury, Richard found himself struggling to get by. He began coming to the meal program in the Fall to help keep costs down, and he now not only receives the nourishment his body needs, but he has made a few friends along the way, and says “[These people] are just nice people. They go, ‘hey, Rich, how you doing? Hey, what’s going on?’… we kick it around, you just make the best out of, you know, what we don’t have.”
Richard helps wash dishes when an extra pair of hands is necessary, he helps unload the truck when donations of food come in, and he does it all with a smile and a positive attitude because he says it is one of his favorite parts of coming here—being able to give back when he can. “It’ll come around,” he says. “[This year is] going to be better, you know, you’ve got to be positive… it’s going to come around.”
As just one of the nearly 600,000 people Food Lifeline serves each year, Richard allowed us to get a glimpse into his life and hear his story. He hopes to get back on his feet and make his way back to Southern Oregon where he lived before coming to the Seattle area. Because of the local meal program, Richard has a place where he can get back on his feet, get the food he needs, and make his way back home. Help us feed hungry people like Richard by making a donation to Food Lifeline.