Teresa’s Story: Why Hunger Action Month Matters

September 4, 2025

By Gwen Guerke, Communications Coordinator

When I walked into our Milford Healthy Pantry Center this week, I noticed Teresa sitting quietly in the corner of the waiting room. She held her driver’s license in her hand—the ID she needed for check-in. She looked tired, but also determined.

“This isn’t my first time here,” she told me. “The last time I came was about a year ago.”

This time, she said, things had gotten harder. “I’ve run out of food stamps,” she explained.

Teresa is a mom of children, ages 7 through 18. She works at a local convenience store, but the hours aren’t steady and rarely full-time. Recently, unexpected car repairs drained what little extra she had. “My car needed new tires and brakes, and my food stamps ran out,” she said.

On top of that, she and her family live in transitional housing in Ellendale. There’s no kitchen in the three-bedroom unit, but she manages to prepare meals with an air fryer and microwave. Rent is $225 a week through a local church—a steep price, but still better than $450 at a motel.

She applied for housing assistance through the state but was turned away.

Still, she finds hope in her children. Her 17-year-old just started a job at a fast-food restaurant. Her oldest son, who graduated high school this year with an academic scholarship, made the difficult choice to defer college so he could stay home, work, and support the family.

Why We Share Teresa’s Story

September is Hunger Action Month, a nationwide campaign led by Feeding America to raise awareness and inspire action against hunger. This year, Hunger Action Day is on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025—a day when communities across the country will come together to stand up for families like Teresa’s.

Hunger isn’t always visible. It doesn’t always look like an empty refrigerator or bare shelves. Sometimes it looks like a mom working part-time, stretching every dollar, and making meals with an air fryer because there’s no stove. Sometimes it looks like a teenager putting college on hold to help his family.

That’s why this month matters.