Our Clients Our clients are people you would not think struggle to put food on the table. They are our neighbors, our coworkers, the little boy in your child’s classroom and the older couple you see at the bus stop outside your gated community. Our clients include children like Adrian, 7, and her younger brother Daniel, both of whom received food through our mobile pantry program. Their mother is a part-time records clerk, while their father works full-time at a hardware store assembling appliances. But times can be lean. Sometimes, Daniel said, he skips breakfast because there’s no food at home. “It makes me feel bad,” the 6-year-old explained. “It makes me feel hungry, and being hungry feels weird.” Sometimes, Daniel has to wait until midday at school to get his first meal of the day. “When I eat lunch, it helps me with school.” The food Adrian and Daniel received at our mobile pantries helped their family get by. Daniel’s favorite foods at these pantries are fresh oranges and cereal. His sister realized how vital the food they received was to them. “Food is very important,” said Adrian, who dreams of becoming a nurse one day. “It’s just as important as sleep.” When she’s hungry, she said, her “stomach feels weird, but amazing when I get to eat.”
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HARRY CHAPIN FOOD BANK OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
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IMPACT REPORT FY 2013-2014