Roberta has been visiting Hope 2 All food pantry in Muhlenberg County to supplement her limited income for years. For many Kentuckians, like Roberta, living on a fixed income is difficult, especially amid historically high grocery prices and rising costs of living. “Well I’m on a government check and you know they don’t go nowhere, so sometimes I have to come down here,” said Roberta.
Roberta shared that while some in her community feel that visiting a food pantry is shameful, she sees the pantry as help where help is needed. “There is nothing wrong with getting it,” said Roberta. “I love the food y’all have in the boxes. It really helps me cause I don’t go to the grocery store that often, cause I don’t have the money to go.”
Roberta’s fixed income has led her to make difficult decisions over the years, prioritizing bills and medications over food. When money is tight, she pays her bills and goes without food, unless it is what she receives at Hope 2 All’s pantry. “With this food coming and I get it, I don't go to the grocery store that often. It might be a month before I go to the grocery store. I have so many bills that I just don’t have the money to go to the grocery store and so I use what the pantry gives me and cook.”
