Hope and Nourishment
Every Tuesday afternoon there is a line that wraps around The Salvation Army’s Red Shield location in Anaheim. It is not uncommon for more than 150 families to come stand in line for a box of food. Lola, a single mom of three, happily stands in this line every Tuesday starting at 1:30 pm.
“Everything has changed,” says Lola. Lola’s life today resembles very little of the life she lived only six months ago. Her divorce was the catalyst in a chain of events that has left her barely scraping by.
“My husband kicked me and my three girls out. We had no place to go,” said Lola. The Army has kept me and my children alive over the past five months. Not only did they help me find shelter, but I come two times a week to get food for my three girls,” said Lola. “Before we were kicked out, our family lived paycheck to paycheck. Now we live food box to food box.”
“Without The Salvation Army, I don’t know where we would get our food. Groceries have gotten so expensive, and the little money left for groceries after paying rent, is about $50. I have three mouths to feed and there is just not enough. Thankfully, The Salvation Army’s food boxes and fresh food allows me to cook nutritious meals for my daughters with food that they like,” shares Lola.
Every time Lola returns from the Food Pantry, Lola’s youngest daughter, Ava, age 6, jumps up and down and gives her mom a big hug. “This is corn,” says Ava, pulling out a brightly colored can of corn, pointing to an illustration of the vegetable on the package. She quickly hops up and places the can of corn on Lola’s nearly empty, pantry shelf.
“I am so grateful for everyone there,” says Lola. “They are all so kind and generous. We would not have food without The Army. I hope someday to be able to help people like they have helped me."