Receiving the Help of Food Pantries

Aired September 1, 1999

This is INFOhio After Nine, I am David C. Barnett, sending greetings your way on September 1st, 1999. We're continuing our welfare series, "The Changing Face of Welfare" is what we call it, and in today's episode, many welfare recipients are among Ohio's working poor. Even though they get monthly benefits, many say it's still a day-to-day struggle. 90.3 correspondent Harry Boomer spoke with several of those who say they have to visit food pantries each month for help.

Harry Boomer–Theresa wants me use only her first name. She is the mother of twin girls. They were born on July 31st. Each one weighed 5 pounds, 10 ounces at birth. Theresa also has two sons. She got back on welfare in April, when she went on maternity leave from her job at a local bank. Theresa says her money and food often run out long before the month does. Yesterday, she was among the 3800 people who monthly visit the University Settlement on Broadway Ave. on Cleveland's east side. They go there to get food.

Theresa–Canned goods and stuff like that. It helps you out a lot, because I had two boys and I just had two girls, they're four weeks old now, and until I can get back on my feet, I'd say, I guess around about when they're five or six months, I'll be ready to go back to work. Until then, I just come to the churches, that's just something extra, really.

HB–For Theresa and her family, extra really doesn't mean extra.

Theresa–I don't work without it as well, you just have to-if it wasn't here, you just have to, I guess, go to IODs, go to the meat market, buy beans and canned goods, I would have to buy more of them. I buy them anyway, but if it wasn't for the little, the church that I could come to, where I could come and get this stuff, I would have to buy more of it, but since I could come here, then I buy less of the canned goods and stuff like that and dry beans.

Mary Riggers–I am on welfare right now, and I am working to get off welfare, in fact, I got a notice, letting me know whether I got my job or not. I went for an interview yesterday, and I'll know today whether I got the job.

HB–Mary Riggers is a single mom with a daughter who turns three this month. Mary has been on welfare for two years.

MR–And if it wasn't for welfare, basically I don't know what I'd do. I've been going through the different programs through welfare, trying to get off welfare, trying to get a decent job I know that I can handle.

HB–When I talked with her yesterday, she was excited about the possibility of getting the job, but her reality has been far from rosy as she strives to move from welfare to work. She says local food banks have been a life-saver.

MR–It helped me a lot because I felt that I could count on someone when I didn't have food, that can help me out and the food was real excellent, and it may not be name-brand stuff all the time, but still it's food on the table, food that I had, that I could eat, that other people probably didn't have, and because I was always low on money, but it helped me out a lot, and I appreciate it.

Jim–We got taco stuff, salad stuff, noodles.

HB–Jim came to the University Settlement to get some food yesterday. He was fired from his job recently, but he won't say why. Jim has a child and a girlfriend waiting for the food back at their apartment. He says money is very tight these days, and that they can't make rent this month. His girlfriend and he have talked about her going on welfare. He says if a job doesn't come through soon, they will have little choice. For now, he will take the food and continue his search for a job. Sandra Charles is the Director of Hunger Programs and manager of the Hunger Center at University Settlement. Charles says thousands of single moms and homeless people use the facilities each month.

Sandra Charles–Other people are getting lower-paying jobs and still need the help, so we're open in the evening on Tuesday nights to help those people that maybe the mom that has a minimum wage job and can't afford food every week, that she comes in on Tuesday evenings and still be able to get a hot meal and also pick up her groceries that night.

HB–Homeless men, the elderly on fixed SSI benefits, and single moms on welfare can get a 3- to 5-day supply of food from the University Settlement once every 30 days if they need to. For INFOhio, I'm Harry Boomer in Cleveland.