BLOG – Mother Gets Fresh Start at New Braunfels Food Bank

JUNE 30, 2017
Amanda Jackson, Economic Opportunity Organizer VISTA

“My kids and I have been through a lot. Because of everything we have been through we have a very strong bond. No matter what comes- we know we can handle it together.”

One of our clients at the New Braunfels Food Bank, Denise, is a single mother with five children ranging from the age of nine to 15. Denise knows from experience how hard it can be raising children on your own.

Denise moved to New Braunfels for a fresh start but things weren’t easy for her family, she explained “I moved here with my kids and I had no job, no car, no nothing… and I don’t have family in town to help.”

There were times before Denise and her family started coming to the Food Bank that Denise can remember struggling with hunger.

“Before we started getting food here, we didn’t have a car so would get our change together and walk to Big Lots to get what canned food we could or we would walk to Whataburger and share one or two meals between the six of us.”

Things started looking up for Denise when she was able to get a job and a car. A neighbor told her about the Food Bank so she started coming in regularly for groceries. Denise loves that she is able to pick out her own groceries and plan meals based on what her kids like.

“I have never seen a place like the New Braunfels Food Bank, usually you go to a place and they give you whatever they have picked out for you, but not here. I think it’s cool that here I can pick and choose what I need. My kids are very picky eaters, so being able to choose is a big plus.”

In addition to the food assistance they receive here, Denise and her family enjoy attending classes such as kid’s cooking classes and Zumba classes and they also volunteer here when they can. For now, Denise is focusing on working and keeping her kids in school. She hopes to go back to school once her kids are older.

Denise wants the community to know that the New Braunfels Food Bank is a place they can go when they need help. “They are not here to judge, they are just here to help you.”