Being food insecure is challenging enough, but imagine being a parent who needs to dilute your infant’s formula to ensure your child can eat throughout the week. This act of love is necessary for too many families in our region.
Through Freestore Foodbank’s Keeping Infants Nourished and Developing (KIND) program, emergency formula is provided to families in need through healthcare partners.
Roughly 41% of mothers bringing their children to pediatric clinics told staff the food they bought simply did not last. This includes Torrie.
Torrie is a home health care worker with two daughters (7, 1) and twin boys who are 10 months old. All children are patients with our partner agency, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center’s (CCHMC) Pediatric Primary Care (PPC).
While Torrie is gainfully employed, she receives both supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) and WIC (women, infants, children), but those funds do not address the gap for her family’s needs.
With the rise of the pandemic, Torrie lost two clients because they were concerned about having someone come into their home. Proactively, Torrie got another job in the same field, but went two weeks without pay when she had to care for one of her sick babies.
Now with twins, Torrie needs more formula more often as she is required to provide up to ten total bottles every day for her sons attending daycare. Torrie goes through one can of formula every day – roughly $480 a month without any help.
While Torrie is grateful for Freestore Foodbank’s assistance with formula, we at Freestore Foodbank are grateful for Torrie’s strength, perseverance, unwavering commitment to her family, and willingness to ask for help.
“Moms like me definitely need the help.” – Torrie
