Good morning friends of Care and Share!

Today, we would like to share some more about LaMicka, who was featured in our County Highlight blog on Monday.

LaMicka is a single mother of two children, ages 12 and 9. She lost her job in January, 2014 due to a back injury. She said, “I worked every day for 12 hour days and I lost my job for simple health reasons.” She now works from home from 7am-4pm as a medical biller. This schedule allows her to help her children with their homework.

In order to create a brighter future for herself and her family, she decided to go back to college and started in June of last year. She plans to receive a certificate from Pueblo Community College in the spring of 2017 and her degree in 2018.

While she is at school, she accesses food from the Panther Pantry every two weeks, but some months she visits every week. Although LaMicka never thought she’d need to go to a food pantry, it is an enormous help to her. Food from the pantry, such as beans and rice, is a staple in her house. She wouldn’t have these items without the pantry. She also gardens at home to help offset the cost of purchasing produce. LaMicka said that “It’s good to know that I can still support my family even though I’m struggling financially. Being able to turn to places when you need help is awesome and knowing where to find the help is awesome as well. ”

LaMicka was nervous the first time she came to the pantry, but now she says “It’s not something that you have to feel like you’re embarrassed to go into.” Since her first visit, she started volunteering at the Panther Pantry to help other students like herself. LaMicka is very dedicated to working for the betterment of her community through volunteerism. She recalls a time when she helped a lady who was wheelchair bound access critical resources. A few months later, the same women came to visit LaMicka to give her a thank-you card and tell LaMicka that she changed her life.

We hope that you enjoyed learning a bit more about LaMicka. Those struggling in the face of hunger all have meaningful stories to share and are often your neighbors, co-workers, or even your friends and family members– those you would least expect. Thank you for reading and for sharing in our belief that no one should go hungry!