The Hope Center Client Story: Lorraine

Lorraine came to The Hope Center on behalf of her boyfriend. She explained that his only income does not last through the month and that, by mid-month, he can be left without money for food or basic household supplies.

“By the middle of the month, he has, like, no money left,” Lorraine said. She described bringing him food, preparing simple meals and helping him locate food pantries when her own support was no longer enough to cover the need.

“But it’s his only income, and he doesn’t make it to the end of the month,” she said. “… And I’ve helped as much as I can, but, you know, I can only do so much.”

Her help is practical as well as financial. Lorraine said the food she collected was for his home and that she would cook items he could not prepare himself.

This was Lorraine’s first time seeking pantry assistance for him. She researched available help, found The Hope Center, and made the trip because she believed he could qualify for support.

Lorraine described the situation as especially difficult because he had worked for decades and still reached the middle of the month without enough food. “You’re somebody that worked 40 years of your life … you shouldn’t have, like, no food by the middle of the month,” she recalled telling him.

She also said he had become lonely and received few visitors, adding a human need for connection to the immediate need for food.

Her message to donors was that financial stability can change without warning. A family member who had been doing well, she said, could suddenly find themselves saying, “I have no money left to buy food.” Continued pantry support gives people somewhere to turn when that happens.