Voices of Montana: Stories Hunger Hope

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2 Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life. NELSON MANDELA Introduction Montana Food Bank Network works to end hunger in Montana through our network of over 150 food pantries and other local partners, as well as through education and policy change. Our biennial report, Hungry in Montana, examines the many factors affecting the prevalence of hunger in our state, including underemployment and low participation in public nutrition programs. Data for this report is collected through in person surveys with food pantry clients. To strengthen the overall impact of the report and to better highlight the faces and people behind the numbers, we are pleased to release our new report, of and. While speaking with food pantry clients around the state, people describe a variety of reasons they need food assistance. They face seasonal or limited employment opportunities, struggle with long term health issues or disabilities, or are dealing with unexpected life circumstances. Their stories are unique, heartbreaking, and yet, somehow, optimistic. While many of the clients told us how they are sometimes skipping meals or forced to make difficult choices between paying for essentials such as rent, health care, or food, most still have hope for a brighter future. of and presents a first person view of the experience of food insecurity in Montana. We partnered with three food pantries around the state to interview people about the reasons influencing their need for food assistance. Five of the stories we collected are shared in this report, along with additional quotes and photos from real Montanans, sharing their voices. They are our neighbors, our coworkers, our friends, and their powerful stories demonstrate both diversity and authenticity. We hope their narratives will resonate with you as you read.

3 Hungry in Montana Hungry in Montana 2016 Report Summary In 2015, agencies of the Montana Food Bank Network served 110,000 different individuals over a total of one million visits. In a state of just over one million people, this means that approximately one in nine Montanans received emergency food assistance through our agencies. To better understand the underlying reasons for hunger in our state and to illustrate the impact of living with food insecurity, the Montana Food Bank Network conducts a biennial survey of families and individuals who are receiving food assistance in Montana. Our 2016 survey included in-depth surveys of 252 food pantry clients, across nine survey sites. Hungry in Montana 2016 is the Montana Food Bank Network s seventh report on the prevalence of hunger in Montana. Our hope is the data in from these reports will improve awareness and understanding of the issue of hunger, demonstrate the tremendous importance of both public and private food programs, and inspire communities and policy makers to make ending hunger a priority. Find this and other reports at mfbn.org/research Visits Coping with Food Insecurity 51% Adults skip meals or cut portions due to lack of food 51% Households had to pay for other necessities instead of food Number of Visits to the Food Pantry More than 12 First Time Clients Households without a Senior 1-6 Visits More than Visits First Time Clients Households with a Senior 1-6 Visits Challenges Accessing Nutritious Food 64% 78% 32% responded that an overall lack of money for food is the biggest challenge to accessing a healthy diet felt that healthy eating options are more expensive and harder to afford than less nutritious foods have a difficult time getting to the grocery store because of distance, gas costs, or lack of a vehicle

4 2016 Report Summary Public Food & Nutrition Programs 57% of households were receiving SNAP or FDPIR 72% 60% 20% 72% Households Living Below Poverty 45% of those not participating in SNAP did not know they may be eligible of households with school-age children were participating in Free or Reduced Price School Breakfast and Lunch of households with children under age five or a pregnant household member were participating in WIC of households with children were participating in the Summer Food Service Program Factors Impacting 53% Delayed Medical Care Because Unable to Afford 44% Households with Employment 27% More Than One Family Living Together Recent research shows that many children who do not have enough to eat wind up with diminished capacity to understand and learn. Children don t have to be starving for this to happen. Even mild undernutrition the kind most common among poor people in America can do it. CARL SAGAN I want to work, but can't find a job that pays a living wage in this area. I am thankful and grateful for SNAP. It feeds my family and helps my daughter with diabetes. GENEVIEVE / POLSON

5 STORY 1: Shawna / HAMIlTON I was born here in Montana but grew up in Oregon. I moved back to Montana in 2003 with my two beautiful children to leave a domestic violence situation. My son is now 15 and a sophomore in high school and my daughter is 13 and in eighth grade. I ve been disabled since age 19 when I was in a head-on car collision. I sustained brain damage and my body was completely shattered from the waist down. I ve learned how to do a lot of things with my disabilities, but I m also hindered in a lot of ways. I wish I could get my spine fixed and go to work because I would love to work, but I have so many limitations and the doctors are always telling me no. I ve done a lot of volunteer work, as much as I can, because I hate being idle. Social Security Disability Income does not pay much, it barely covers the bills. By the time we pay rent, utilities, and put gas in the car, there is not enough left for food. The food pantry is a life saver. Because of the pantry, there is nutritious food in the house for my kids. I also get SNAP benefits which help a lot, especially during the summer when the kids don t have school meals. The food I get at the pantry lasts about two weeks, and our SNAP benefits make up the other two weeks. Even with these programs, there are times that I will skip eating to make sure the food stretches for the kids. I end up skipping meals a few times a week but I do everything I can to make sure that they stay healthy. There are a lot of people in our community that need help. Those that turn a blind eye, saying Oh, it s not a big problem need to take their blinders off and see the reality for what it is. There are a lot of people in our community that need help. Those that turn a blind eye, saying Oh, it s not a big problem need to take their blinders off and see the reality for what it is. SHAWNA / HAMILTON

6 STORY 2: Patsy / BElgrADE My daughter passed away eight years ago, and she left two children. She was only 45, lived alone, and she was very, very sick. She had Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. When she had an aneurysm, they flew her to Billings. I would have had to make the decision of keeping her alive on machines or just letting her go. That was going to be so hard for me because her children were only 15 and 10 at that time. I prayed that god would step in and make help me make the right decision. She had a stroke and passed away so she didn't have to suffer anymore. It's been a long journey. I have buried two of my youngest children. My son froze when he was 25 and then this was my youngest daughter. We lived in Bozeman, and when my daughter passed away, we sold our house and bought one in Belgrade so the kids could have their doctors and their friends. We fought for custody because my daughter and her ex-husband had been separated since the little guy was only four months old and neither of them wanted to go with him. We are raising our grandchildren, and we are living on social security. It s been maybe three years coming to the food bank. It never crossed my mind because we had sold our house, and we had a little bit of money. When we bought the house in Belgrade we didn't have a house payment, and the children were covered by their father's medical insurance. It just got to the point where all the school supplies and everything, it just got to be too much. My grandson is a competition shooter ever since he was eight and that ended up being a pretty expensive sport the older he got. He's a good student and he was working on getting a scholarship through shooting. I said there were probably more people that needed it more than we did. I waited until I really needed it, then I came. It's been a great help. I said there were probably more people that needed it more than we did. I waited until I really needed it, then I came. It's been a great help. PATSY / BELGRADE

7 We ve been here six times in the last year. I try not to use it unless we really have to. But when we need the pantry, they are great. Without the pantry, we would be hurting. They do a great job, our experience here is consistently good. TRACEY / HAMILTON As much as ramen may be affordable, it's certainly not conducive to having the energy to make it through the medical program. We always have the running joke that if we ever win the lottery we will give half to the food bank. With their help, we have been brought through so many hard times. MELISSA / BOZEMAN

8 STORY 4: DeLaney / HElENA I came to work for the state because it is one of the best jobs to have as a single mom with benefits and consistent stable income. The jobs I had with the state paid well and supported our needs. I also worked for the state because a lot of the positions were related to my educational background. I have two AS degrees, one in forensic science and one as a paralegal. Instead of a Forensic Scientist or CSI, I was a single mom working to provide. Being a mom is so much more important to me than any career! It is very hard to raise a child as a single parent in Montana, even though I had a good income. I was raising a special needs son, who is now 18, by myself and working full time. The child support was very sporadic and not the court ordered amount. I moved my son back to Montana for our safety after we were abandoned by my ex-husband. My son has autism and schizophrenia so he has trouble controlling his anger. I was consistently abused mentally, emotionally, verbally and physically. He has been removed from my home for my safety. I finally mentally couldn t take it after years and years. I broke down mentally and couldn t work. You fall into the cracks of the assistance and benefit programs that are meant to help people like me and my son. It s been in Montana that I ve had to make the hard choices between food or bills, gas, medicine, or other vital needs because you can't afford to do it all. I qualified for disability, but they dragged their feet for two years before making a decision. I was literally hours and a day away from being homeless while waiting for housing. I'm currently trying to work to get off of it. It s not looking like I'm able to handle it, at least not quite yet. But maybe someday. I'm working very hard to better myself and heal. It is very hard to raise a child as a single parent in Montana, even though I had a good income. I was raising a special needs son, who is now 18, by myself and working full time. DELANEY / HELENA

9 STORY 5: Mary / HAMIlTON I m a schizophrenic with chronic depressive episodes. I have PTSD and anxiety. It just kind of culminates. When I was first diagnosed in my 20s, I worked and tried to get through it. Then I got a good doctor and he helped me. I still worked, and I was on medicine and worked through it. I taught in Corvallis for eight years. After I stopped being a teacher, I worked with the mentally ill. I was a CNA and I did home health and that s how I met my roommate, gerry. It finally came to a point where I couldn t work. It got so bad that I was hospitalized a couple of times. Finally, at about 38, it got to a point where my doctor said, No, this isn t going to work and you are going to have to go on disability, have a roommate, and live your life that way. And that s what I did. My family wasn t supportive at all with my mental illness because in our family we were fine. We don t have things like that happen, so I got gerry. I have known her for 30 years and lived with her for 27. I was her personal care assistant before that. She has MS. We just help and support each other. I basically had to scrape to get by before I got on SNAP. I first started off getting $10 in Food Stamps. I get more now, and I budget my amount through the month. My experience with Medicaid has been nothing but good. If I didn t have Medicaid I would not be alive because I would not be able to pay for my medicine. My medicine is very expensive. Medicaid has been very good to me and I hope it continues in my life because if not, I ll be in Warm Springs. My family wasn't supportive at all with my mental illness because in our family we were fine. We don't have things like that happen. MARY / HAMILTON

10 Conclusion Food insecurity and poverty are not inevitabilities, but sadly, they are a reality for many of our neighbors. The hope is that these stories help to broaden your understanding of food insecurity and the reasons people utilize food programs. We also hope that these stories will help to demonstrate the critical role of the food pantries, public food programs, and community organizations that are working around the state to address food insecurity in immediate ways. The voices featured in this report are just a snapshot of the nearly 140,000 Montanans living in food insecure homes. Across our state we have parents skipping meals to feed their children, seniors choosing between food and medication, and hardworking individuals going to work every day and still not making enough money to make ends meet. But this doesn t have to be the case. is a solvable problem and together we can end it. Our state and our nation must make ending hunger a priority. Together, with your support, we can end hunger in Montana. Get Involved! 1. Advocate. Your voice is powerful and combined with other Montanans can make a huge difference. Support federal nutrition programs like SNAP, School Meals, WIC, and the senior nutrition programs. Urge our state and federal policy makers to invest in and strengthen the nutrition programs, as well as job training programs and access to affordable education, child care, health care and housing. 2. Educate. Use what you have learned from these powerful voices to address myths about hunger in your community. learn more about the programs focused on reducing poverty and food insecurity in your area, and find out how you can help support their work. Talk to our policy makers and state leaders about the need in our state. Increased awareness and understanding of the issue of hunger is the first step towards action. 3. Donate. Your support is critical to the organizations fighting hunger in your community. Maybe you choose to volunteer one hour a month or host a food drive, it all makes a tremendous impact. Individuals across the nation are calling their policy makers, making donations, or finding other, creative ways to be of service to their communities, and you can be a part of that movement. For more information on the issue of hunger in Montana, advocacy opportunities, or to connect to partners in your community, go to mfbn.org.

11 Acknowledgements The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little. FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT Thank you to all the individuals featured in this report for sharing their experiences and investing time in this project. Their generosity made this project possible. A special thanks to our partner agencies who hosted us and helped connect us with their clients. Your hard work and compassion make a tremendous impact on your communities. Helena Food Share, Helena, MT Haven House, Hamilton, MT gallatin Valley Food Bank, Bozeman, MT PrOjECT COOrDINATOr: Tirza Asbell report AUTHOrS: Tirza Asbell and lorianne Burhop PHOTOgrAPHEr: David Brown DESIgNEr: roger Parchen/Art & Image SPECIAl THANkS TO: Mazon: A jewish response to, for funding and support For more information, please contact Tirza Asbell, Public Policy Coordinator at the Montana Food Bank Network, , tasbell@mfbn.org.

12 The Montana Food Bank Network (MFBN) is Montana s only statewide food bank. MFBN is also the only fully privileged Montana member of Feeding America, the national hunger fighting organization. Our mission is to end hunger in Montana through food acquisition and distribution, education and advocacy. To learn more or to make a donation, visit Expressway, Missoula, MT Phone: (406) Fax: (406) info@mfbn.org