When I thought about using the food pantry here in Salt Lake City for the first time a few weeks ago I felt a twinge of embarrassment. All I could think about is “what if I don’t qualify?”, “what if I ran in to someone I know?” and just the sheer fact of needing assistance played a part in my emotions. I had considered going for a couple of years, but always talked myself out of it for just those reasons I stated above. Being a full time student and a full time employee obviously made my finances extremely tight and at times I have felt food insecure. Finally, I determined to not let my pride get the best of me and I decided to visit my local pantry. This is my experience. My aim in this piece is to let people in my similar situation know it is not something to be embarrassed about nor is it hard to access these services.
Walking in to the food pantry in Sandy I was confused about where to go; I was guided by a volunteer to where I needed to wait before my intake questionnaire. While I waited, an elderly woman was cooking stir fried vegetables on a gas stove. She started handing out samples along with the recipe. It tasted savory and filling. I thought it was such a cool thing to do. Not only was the sample delicious but it also made me feel warm and welcomed. Twenty to thirty minutes went by and then a women came out, smiled and called my name. She walked me into her small, comfortable office and began talking me through a few simple questions about myself. Some of the questions she asked included where I lived, what my monthly income is and if I had any children. I answered the questions in a shy, quiet voice; I was still a little intimidated. I had brought my drivers license and a bill showing my proof of address. She sweetly said that I was qualified and explained I was a blue color (which means one to two people in my household). I was given a card showing my intake had been completed and the next time I came in all I had to do was show my card. I was then directed to a narrow hallway to stand in line with a shopping cart. When it was my turn a volunteer came out and led me into the pantry. Slowly I walked into the pantry still a little nervous. I started with picking out my canned goods and then a gentleman with a genuine grin came up to me and put a sack of fruit in my cart. I wheeled my car into the large area of the pantry where the rest of the food was kept. I had gotten there a little late so there was an abundance of bread and pies but not much else. All of the volunteers were telling me to take more because I was one of the last few people who were in the pantry. While I finished shopping, I couldn’t help but think to myself “why have I waited so long to do this?”
I do not consider myself the traditional face of hunger. There are so many things I want to accomplish when I graduate from college and I should not have to worry about how I am going to feed myself on day to day basis. In addition to getting emergency food supplies I was also counseled regarding such programs as HEAT, rental assistance, and applying for SNAP benefits. I cannot imagine the hardships of a single parent trying to feed their children and pay rent, or the person who just got laid off from their job trying to make ends meet each month. These local pantries are here for our benefit; we do not have to suffer the effects of food insecurity in silence.
Fellow SLCCFOOD contributor Rebecca Baker describes her experience volunteering at a local food pantry in Hungry To Help: Volunteering at a Salt Lake City Food Pantry.
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