Charles Thomas came to Bath in 2000 a broken man. After 30 years of drug abuse, trouble keeping jobs, and run-ins with the law, he had no choice but to make a change. He was at a Veterans Affairs facility in Pennsylvania when a fellow veteran sang praises...
On June 18th, ten Steuben County residents graduated from the Food Bank’s Speakers Bureau in Bath and spoke in front of an audience of about 90 community members. The speakers shared their stories about poverty, homelessness, addiction, domestic violence,...
Josephine Burrell has been advocating for low-income housing for more than half her 77 years. And now, she wants to build low-income homes. Tiny homes. Homes that people with low-to-moderate incomes can own, afford and take pride in maintaining.“It’s not...
After a series of major heart issues, Robin Derick would happily never set foot in a physician’s office again. But in order to get free produce weekly from the Turning Point Fresh Farmacy fruit and vegetable prescription program, she willingly participates...
Retired Nurse, Pine City, NY For more than 40 years, Bonnie Nielsen did the one thing she loved most: she helped others. Bonnie worked with children at two hospitals, often caring for the most challenging cases. But then she became ill, and had trouble...
Mayor of Ithaca, NY When Svante Myrick was a boy, his family often didn’t have enough money to buy the food they needed. So at times, they had to rely on their neighborhood food pantry. With food in his stomach, Svante’s mom and teachers were able to fill...
Wife, Mother and Assistant Director at Bread Of Life Food Pantry, Candor, NY When Linda Wintermute and her husband moved to Candor, NY, they faced one of the biggest challenges of their lives: the prospect of suddenly having eight mouths to feed. Though...
"Food Bank programs lifted up my family and put us on the road to better lives." Mother of four sons, working and attending college. For a single mother with four sons, the Food Bank of the Southern Tier was a lifeline. April Bridges was a member of the...
Living with a disability on public assistance, advocating for change. What’s it like to live in poverty in the Southern Tier? To stifle your pride and accept help to make ends meet? To feed yourself on $6 a day? Wendy can tell you. She is a food pantry...