“It all happened at once,” Loretha says. “My work stopped. His work stopped. The money just stopped coming in.”

She earned an income selling handmade jewelry at craft shows and farmers markets, and her husband, Javier, worked as an engineer at local hotels. But since the pandemic hit, the couple has been missing paychecks and struggling to provide for their two boys, ages 13 and 14.

“We had a little bit of savings to help us get by at first,” Javier says. “But you can’t live off that.”

He’s been looking at jobs in local warehouses but worries about the risk of exposure to COVID-19. One of his and Loretha’s sons has severe respiratory issues, and the possibility of bringing the virus home to his family is a serious concern.

Like all of us, the couple looks forward to better days ahead for their family. In the meantime, they’re grateful they can pick up healthy food from Glencliff High School, which partners with Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee to share healthy groceries in southeast Nashville. 

Friends like you have been bringing families like theirs hope throughout this crisis.

“You’re helping us — this will help our family eat,” Loretha says. “Thank you!”

You’re paving the way for our community’s shared future. Thank you for your generous partnership in the fight against hunger.