Meet our client, Fiona
Here is a story from a client we recently served in our food pantry. Meet “Fiona” . . .
“I am an immigrant and since moving here I've been working as a home health aide. Up until this point in my life I have not had to reach out and ask for any kind of assistance. During the pandemic, it was a risk for me to do my job. My family back in Ireland was very worried about me. But I was not able to afford to stay home, so I continued to work.
"My first experience with COVID-19 was when my 100-year-old client contracted the virus. I had to isolate for 14 days. Thankfully, my client recovered after an extended stay in the hospital. During that time, the company did not pay me.
"Then I came down with COVID myself. I was very sick for the first few days. And again, my company did not pay me for the sick time. I felt very lonely and sad, and that my work was unappreciated. There was also a stigma attached to contracting the virus, which made me feel uncomfortable to ask my neighbors for help.
"With my decreased income, I was not able to afford groceries. By March, I decided I needed to ask for help. I went to Interfaith’s food pantry. It meant a lot to me emotionally to be given this help. Not only was I given food, but also little essentials like toothpaste and toothbrush and even cat food. It renewed my faith in humanity.”
