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Stories of Hope: Jordon
Jordon likes his full-time job. He enjoys living in a small North Dakota town. But the single dad of two kids struggles financially. “I live paycheck to paycheck,” he said. “It’s hard to get ahead.”
When it comes to income, the family of three falls into the murky middle. Jordon makes too much money for the family to qualify for any state or federal programs that might provide help with food, health care or childcare expenses.
His income isn’t high enough, however, to provide a comfortable cushion for the unexpected. And the unexpected is a given with two young children, ages 7 and 6. Sometimes Jordon will visit a local food pantry to help stretch the family’s budget. He recently drove through a mobile food pantry event and picked up food items like oranges and potatoes and frozen meat over his work break.
He tries to make balanced, nutritious meals for his children, but they are growing and eating a lot more than they used to. Hungry kids equal a bigger food bill in his world. “They are little people with big appetites.”
The groceries he received at the mobile food pantry event allowed him to save money for upcoming back-to-school expenses. “It certainly can be frustrating to not have a lot of extra money, but we’re not destitute,” he said. “Still, every little bit helps.”
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