For the last three years, Jeanette Alvarado, 50, has relied on St. Mary’s Food Bank in Phoenix to guarantee her children their next meal. It’s a concern she never had when her husband was alive.
“We never had to go through this. My husband and I always had a pretty good income,” Alvarado said. “It changed everything. Then, my kids, on top of having to grieve, they’re having to go through hardship.”
Alvarado still works five days a week but turns to the food bank to supplement the loss of income from her husband’s death. She said she was also planning to begin receiving SNAP benefits but is unsure those will be available…