Written by Senora De la Pena

“Well, you don’t understand because you’ve never been at a point when you are barely scraping by. You have never been worried about losing everything. That is why I am grateful. When I didn’t have anything, Kids’ Meals came by like a ray of sunshine. This shows me that God never abandons anyone.”

“I have been in the program for two years, ever since I moved from Missouri.  I had to leave everything behind and move here where we didn’t know anyone.  Someone in my neighborhood told me about Kids’ Meals after she found out that I was going through a difficult time.  I didn’t know that Houston offered this much help.  She told me about this program, with a van that stops by every day with lunches for your children.  Any money that my husband was making with several jobs was going just towards rent.  We didn’t have money to eat or any help from government, like food stamps.  When I first heard about Kids’ Meals it was a great help because I knew I would have food for my children to eat.  I knew my older kids would have a meal at school, but what worried me is that there wouldn’t be a meal to eat for my children at home.  When I received the sandwiches, I tried my best to add whatever extra food I had, like lettuce.

When he wasn’t at a job, my husband would look through the trash for cans to sell to recycle. He does anything he can to make money for us.  With the $30- $50 he brings home, we use that to buy food.

I tell people “Well, you don’t understand because you’ve never been at a point when you are barely scraping by.  You have never been worried about losing everything.   That is why I am grateful.  When I didn’t have anything, Kids’ Meals came by like a ray of sunshine.  This shows me that God never abandons anyone.”