Janancy and Vanyshia

Throughout the holiday season, we’ll feature families supported and nourished by your gifts. A special thank you goes to Vanyshia and Janancy who agreed to share her personal story with us. If you would like to help her family and others like her, please consider making a financial gift online.

Vanysha and Janancy are both 11 years old and became good friends when they met at the Boys and Girls Club at Bedicheck Middle School. “Boys and Girls Club saved my life because I met Vanysha,” says Janancy.

Janancy shared that even with her stepdad out of work right now, her family has enough to eat. However, Vanyshia’s family struggles to put food on the table and it makes her feel sad.

Vanyshia, who lives with her grandmother, brother and sister, says that sometimes she is not able to eat at home after Kids Cafe. “My Grandmother, she doesn’t get any food stamps anymore. The office wouldn’t give her more. So we have to go to my Mom’s house and use her card. We can’t have any milk or stuff like that. We can get canned food because it doesn’t cost as much.”

At the end of the month, Vanyshia says there are times when no one in her house is able to eat. “Sometimes at the end of the month…sometimes I don’t eat. One night my Grandmother cooked, but I didn’t eat the next night,” says Vanyshia.

Vanyshia tells about the sacrifices her Grandmother makes so that she and her siblings can eat. “Sometimes my Grandma can’t even eat because she has to feed me and my brother and sister. Sometimes I don’t eat as much as I want to because I leave some for my Grandma because I don’t want her to sit there and starve. Sometimes she doesn’t have enough money to buy food, so she has to go to the bank and borrow money. It makes me feel sad. I don’t want her to be hungry. I just feel sad sometimes,” says Vanyshia.

Your financial gift makes it possible for children to not feel guilty about eating enough food so that other family members can eat. Help turn hungry holidays into happy holidays by sharing this story and making a gift today.

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