Volume 1, Issue 1 (March 2025)
Welcome to MOFC Story Bites, where we share bite-sized stories about real people living with or fighting food insecurity. For this edition, we spoke to customers at Emergency Clearinghouse Food Pantry, an MOFC partner agency in Circleville (Pickaway County), about what getting help means for them.
Lisa
After addiction took the lives of all three of her sons, Lisa found herself in the role of caregiver to two grandkids in her senior years. She shares her Circleville home with two of her grandsons and visits Emergency Clearinghouse Food Pantry to help her family get by.
“I have to supplement my food budget. Coming here helps,” Lisa said. “It really takes a lot off my plate. It helps me to not struggle—to find a way.“
Lisa is a former nurse who spent years lifting immobile patients. As a result, she now has severe back problems that make working difficult. She receives $1,330 a month in disability income, but her rent alone is $750. She added that what she gets through SNAP doesn’t go as far as it used to.
“The cost of groceries is ridiculous,” Lisa said. “I’m trying to do everything I can. I have grandkids, and I want to do my best for them.”
Clarissa
Clarissa is like many of her neighbors in Circleville who shop at MOFC partner pantry Emergency Clearinghouse. She’s a mom working full time to feed her kids. And, like many of her peers, she earns too much to qualify for all the help she needs. Clarissa has SNAP benefits, but they’re not enough to feed her family through the end of the month.
Clarissa first came to Emergency Clearinghouse when she was in college. Back then, she worked two jobs to pay for rent and tuition.
She grew up middle-class but said that definition has shifted. Now, her and many others’ wellbeing are tied to the pantries they visit.
“If they take funds away from the food pantries, it’s going to cause major damage in Circleville. This town is already struggling,” Clarissa said. “Middle-class people are scraping by. They’re now low-income households. Things never used to be this bad here. I wish people could see what we’re going through.”
At our customer’s request, MOFC has used a stock image for this story for privacy reasons.
Rachel
Like clockwork, Rachel picks up her best friend in her blue minivan once a month. The pair laugh and poke fun at each other on their routine trip to MOFC partner pantry Emergency Clearinghouse.
Rachel is a single hard-working mom in Circleville who relies on food assistance to feed her daughter through the end of the month. “When you’re a mother, you’ll do anything for your family,” said Rachel. “You’re not going to let your child go hungry.”
Rachel has one daughter, but many kids in her neighborhood see her as their mom. Every Christmas, she rummages through yard sales and thrift stores to make sure each of them gets a present.
But the kids aren’t the only way she’s connected to her street. Rachel has noticed more and more of her neighbors coming to Emergency Clearinghouse. “It’s starting to feel like a neighborhood gathering when I come here,” she said. “It’s a weird feeling.”
At our customer’s request, MOFC has used a stock image for this story for privacy reasons.
Eli
Eli is a farmhand in his mid-20s who makes a living helping rural homesteaders. From spring to fall, he drives to jobsites in his old pickup truck with his faithful dog by his side. When winter comes and work is scarce, however, it can be hard to make ends meet.
Since recently moving back to his hometown of Circleville, Eli has learned that he doesn’t have to be on his own when times get tough. He visited MOFC partner agency Emergency Clearinghouse Food Pantry for the first time while waiting for his SNAP benefits to start.
Eli is encouraged by the community atmosphere of Circleville, including food assistance programs for folks like himself. “I thought it was on me alone to figure it out, but there’s help,” he said. “It’s inspiring to me. I’m even thinking about getting into this line of work.”
At our customer’s request, MOFC has used a stock image for this story for privacy reasons.
