Jackie’s Story

For Jackie, perseverance isn’t just a concept; it is daily practice. Raising four active, delightful daughters is a full-time job, made even more demanding by her three girls’ health challenges.

For many years, Jackie’s family was food secure. But the “perfect storm” of 2025—inflation, housing costs, and wage stagnation—forced them back into a precarious position. “Our rent keeps going up and up, and now we just cannot afford food,” Jackie says. “My husband hasn’t received a raise in five years.”

Refusing to let rising costs compromise her children’s nutrition, Jackie began watching online tutorials on how to stretch common ingredients. When things got even tighter, she started supplementing her grocery runs with visits to Hastings Family Service. Through the food shelf’s partnership with Second Harvest Heartland, Jackie accesses the fresh produce, ground beef, and eggs essential for her family’s health.

“It’s delicious food. It’s really amazing,” she says, noting that the support allows her to occasionally provide treats for her girls, maintaining a sense of normalcy during hard times. “It helps get us through ... otherwise we wouldn’t be making it from month to month right now.”