Sharing the Love

Love exists in many forms. There is the love between a parent and child, the love between partners, and the love for friends and family. No less important, though, is the love for neighbors near and far that inspires us to serve our communities, reach out to those in need, and to give back where we can.

It is that love that has inspired and guided Zoe’s lifetime of volunteering. Her mom set the precedent, organizing and maintaining an extracurricular program for kids in their low-income community who might otherwise have missed out on the chance to participate in those activities. And when Zoe became a mom, she promised herself that she would instill the same values in her kids.

“I like to think that it’s just a natural part of being,” Zoe says of her volunteer work: 20 years in her church’s children’s ministry; even longer in her community at large. “I feel like I’ve been blessed so much – how can I not return that blessing?”

More difficult to talk about – but, Zoe says, even more important – is how she and her family have benefitted from others’ neighborly love, in addition to bestowing it.

Zoe and her husband and kids live in California, the second-most expensive state. She works full-time as a special needs educator. Despite her and her husband’s income, “Sometimes the money doesn’t match the need.

“Because the cost of living has risen, sometimes, those needs have to shift,” Zoe explains. “It’s like, let me look at what I can do this month. I can cover all of the bills, and next month, I’ll shift from bills to grocery shopping. I remember as a child I used to hear adults say, you know, ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul.’ And now more than ever, I understand exactly what that means. And God forbid, the unexpected happens.”

Zoe has faced several instances of ‘unexpected.’ Last year, the family’s car broke down. They had it fixed, only to have it break again irreparably, completely wasting the money put towards the first effort. Somehow, the family worked a new car into their budget, only for it to be stolen less than a month later.

Throughout the ordeal, the biggest stressor to Zoe wasn’t anything to do directly with the car. She worried how the family’s financial situation would affect her young kids mentally and emotionally.

“You want kids to just focus on being kids, you know?” Zoe told us, admitting that it can be “heartbreaking” to feel like she’s falling short as a parent.

That’s part of the hidden reality of food insecurity. The struggle often goes unseen, leaving parents reluctant to ask for help when it might not look needed from the outside. But that’s why, Zoe told us, it was important for her to share her story: to show others that accepting love and support from neighbors is just as much a part of life as giving it.

“I think organizations like Feed the Children, I’m not sure if they understand that oftentimes, they’re a lifeline for parents living day-to-day,” Zoe says. “It’s like a breath of fresh air. It’s like, okay, God sees me.”

This work is made possible by your love – as donors, volunteers, and advocates online and in real life. Your support shows care for your neighbors, your communities, and even for strangers. With your help, we can end food insecurity and childhood hunger in our nation and around the world. Zoe herself said it best:

“It’s going to take everyone making a commitment to have a heart for our young people, and to give back. And when you give the blessing that you are giving to someone, it is beyond measure. It’s not just the tangible things. You are blessing somebody in more ways than you could ever imagine.”