Massachusetts
David took his share of the American dream in 2006 when he and his wife, Lisa, attained his parents’ 25-year-old car and truck repair business. There was no way these college-educated parents of four could have anticipated the unraveling economy in the year to come. “We had been doing alright for months,” said Lisa of the perplexing time. “Then all of a sudden, no one was coming through the door.” By August of 2007, the couple closed their business.
$30,000 down in business expenses, David found a job as a mechanic while Lisa stayed home to take care of the kids. The economic landscape of northern Massachusetts was grim, and soon he was laid off. It would be months before he found a new job fixing copiers. During their bleakest moments, the family turned to their local pantry, an agency of the Greater Boston Food Bank, to supplement their food stamps. These former missionaries to Mexico were humbled by the onset of their predicament.
"I think people are struggling," Lisa surmised. "They are so busy and wrapped up in trying to provide and get the next thing that they forget about the basics. But this has taught me never to judge someone until you have walked in their shoes."
Learn more about the Greater Boston Food Bank.