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Gifts to the Almanac’s Holiday Fund benefit the Ecumenical Hunger Program and nine other community organizations. Donate now.
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By Maleah Preston, Ecumenical Hunger Program
‘I am very grateful for the Ecumenical Hunger Program (EHP) being in this community and helping and doing all that they do for the positive transformation of lives. EHP has definitely transformed mine.” Those are the words of Connie, a 37-year resident of East Palo Alto and a single working mother of four.
Since 1992, EHP has been able to assist her family with food, clothing, furniture and other services when they needed them most.
“It broke my heart to see my children suffer and I had no one to turn to for help,” she says. “Then I found out about EHP.”
She credits EHP with helping her through many difficult times and for the look of joy on her children’s faces when they experience the miracle of special holiday gifts, and backpacks full of supplies and clothes and shoes for a new school year.
Connie is very proud of the awards that her children earn with their hard work in school and for her eldest son’s accomplishments as a video editor with a local community organization.
She says that none of this would be possible if it were not for EHP’s support.
Currently a member of the EHP women’s support group, Connie has been attending classes through UC Davis and JobTrain. She plans to open a family child care home in the near future.
Many families like Connie’s are on the verge of losing their homes, losing their jobs because they cannot afford the rising cost of housing, utilities, gas and other necessities, and they have or are experiencing true hunger.
We are seeing more and more people walking through our doors, desperate for food and hoping for solutions. With our Family Intake Program and with the continued generous support of our donors, we will be able to help these families get back on their feet.
Connie is thoughtful and at a loss for words when asked to describe her feelings about what EHP has done for her family. After a long pause, she looks up with tears in her eyes and says, “blessed and thankful!”
And she is teaching her children to pay this forward. “They won’t have to go through what I went through because with EHP’s help, I’ve been able to set a different foundation for them,” she says. “EHP has helped me transform my life, my family and my children’s future and for this, I am forever grateful.”