Some of you may remember last year when I went to the food bank and had a really horrible access challenge. Well this morning, I had to go back.
The pandemic food stamps assistance ended, so as of February 15th we are now getting $116 less every month in food stamps. That means we need to be a bit more creative in our food needs. HOPE of Rock Hill is one of the biggest food banks in the area. So I gave them a second chance.
After last time, I had Advocates for Service Animal Partners help me educate HOPE about service animals. They did a good job, and we had no issues today! Everyone was very respectful of Hestia and no one even attempted to pet her.
I arrived at 8AM, and was 4th in line. At 8:30, they opened the doors and let us in. Since they only have like 5 chairs, I brought my wheelchair so I’d be sure to have somewhere to sit while I was waiting. Only one of the double doors was unlocked, and it was about half an inch wider than my wheelchair. So I had to make a couple of attempts to get in with people holding the door for me. But I made it!
I got checked in and everything really quickly. By 8:45, I was back in my van and driving around the back to be loaded up with groceries! I was home by 9. Not too bad!
Hestia was really good, though she was a bit nervous when we got in the van in the morning before she ate breakfast. I think she thought she was going to the vet to have a procedure done, because she was whining on the way there. But once she realized we were at the food bank and not the vet, she just laid down in my lap and slept the whole time.
We got a decent amount of food, and most of it we can eat. It wasn’t a ton of food like we got last time. But we got enough that it will help us out. I think we will probably be able to make it through the month without spending too much extra of our own money on food. Some of the highlights of what we got were some mahi mahi and tilapia, pork chops, cottage cheese, about 10 cans of veggies, and some good quality chips.
I didn’t take any pictures because I didn’t get ready for the day before heading over there since it was so early in the morning. At least I brushed my hair and teeth, but that was about it LOL!