Josue’s story: While his family faced unexpected hardship, at least hunger was off the table.

Every student in our program has their own unique story, but the common theme is how quickly they become stories of hope once the burden of food insecurity is resolved. Josue’s story was shared by our partners at Roxbury Elementary School. It has been lightly modified for clarity.

Over the years, hundreds of Roxbury students have benefitted from Filling in the Blanks’s Weekend Meal Bags. A lot of them consistently remain in the program, but there are others who only participate for a few months or so as needed to work through a temporary situation. 

Our families are fortunate that Filling in the Blanks is both generous and flexible; it enables us to meet families’ needs, whenever they arise and whatever they are. It enabled us to help Josue.

Josue had always come to school with a bounce in his step and a smile on his face. One day, however, his teacher noticed he was uncharacteristically downcast. When asked what was wrong, Josue said his family had been staying in a motel not far from school, but had to leave because it was too expensive. He explained that all four family members had just moved across town to a less expensive motel, one with a reputation for being rather unsafe. Josue's mother confirmed that the family had lost their apartment around the holidays after the landlord refused to renew their lease. This left them struggling to find a new, affordable and suitable apartment. Most were on upper floors and inaccessible to Josue's wheelchair-bound sister. The family suddenly found itself spending more money paying for temporary housing in a motel than they ever paid in rent.

Their challenges were compounded by a recent reduction in income—both parents found themselves underemployed and struggling to fill in the gaps. Their situation was typical of the cascade of events that can befall families on the margin, and often keep them there. The result was that the family was hungry—what little money they had was being used to keep them off the streets.

Connecting families to social services takes time, but thanks to Filling in the Blanks’s flexibility, Josue was able to enroll in the weekend food program (affectionately known as "The Backpack Club") that very week. His older sister was also encouraged to sign up at her school, which always partners with the program. The motel room the family shared had a kitchenette, so the children could enjoy the bag's hearty food items such as soup, rice, beans, and macaroni and cheese. 

While Josue and his family worked through their hardships, at least hunger was off the table.