Stories for Stand By Me

If anyone knows there are no shortcuts to financial stability, it’s Nakia. She’s been working with Marilyn, one of the Food Bank of Delaware’s Stand By Me coaches, since 2012. Nakia first connected with Marilyn through Wilmington Housing Authority’s resident services. “I was interested in the home-buyers’ program, and I was linked with Marilyn,” she…

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Tracey, a Wilmington resident, is well aware that her Stand By Me® coach has provided a literal lifesaver. She meets with Marilyn via Zoom once a month for free and personalized, private one-on-one financial coaching, thanks to a partnership between the Food Bank of Delaware and the state of Delaware Tracey, who is disabled, said…

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Shirae is proud, confident, self-assured, and very happy! Why? On May 22, she officially became a homeowner. That’s a cause for celebration in anyone’s life, but Shirae knows that for her, the journey is nothing short of a miracle. “I’m unemployed, and I’m disabled, but I did it! It’s miraculous,” said this 51-year-old Wilmington resident….

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Bonita is very, very happy! She achieved her dream of home ownership, thanks to some solid guidance from Marilyn, the Food Bank of Delaware’s Stand By Me coach. Now a New Castle resident, Bonita loves everything about the home she was able to purchase: its location, its history, its charm, the backyard, the neighborhood. A…

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Eldiablo, a Wilmington resident, knows firsthand that a low credit score is more than just a number. He can share first-hand experience about how poor credit creates obstacles for someone who wants to finance larger purchases, like a home. So, thanks to his sister, Eldiablo learned about a free financial counseling program, Stand By Me,…

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Tom – not his real name – has worked toward home ownership for several years, and he’s about to reach that goal.  Almost four years ago, he connected with Marilyn, one of our Stand By Me financial coaches. Stand By Me offers free personal, private, one-on-one financial coaching through a partnership between local nonprofits, United…

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When Shirae met the Food Bank of Delaware’s Stand By Me coach Marilyn Ramirez at a Wilmington Housing Authority event, she was struggling with debt and poor credit, looking for a way to relieve stress and to improve her situation. Stand By Me is a joint project of the state of Delaware and the United…

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Monique’s voice quivers and her emotional response is obvious – even during a phone conversation – as she expresses gratitude to the guidance and support she received through the Stand By Me program at the Food Bank of Delaware, and in particular from Marilyn, her counselor. When the Newark resident initially met Marilyn at a…

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Audrey and her husband, active retirees from New Jersey, enjoy their life in Middletown, but she said she’s struggled to connect to resources. “At first, I didn’t know how to get food,” she said, but she found help at the Neighborhood House. Then she learned about the Food Bank of Delaware’s Healthy Pantry Center, and…

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Phyllis, a Dover resident, is so grateful that she connected to the Stand By Me program at the Food Bank of Delaware. This retiree is now in the process of fulfilling her life-long dream – home ownership. Stand By Me offers personal, private, one-on-one financial coaching through a partnership between the Food Bank of Delaware,…

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