Each year in September, emergency food providers all over the country ask their supporters to take action against hunger. At Loudoun Hunger Relief, we are using the month of September to highlight the work we’re doing in our community, but also to tell the stories of the neighbors we serve.

Our neighbor “Jack” is a single man in his 60's and works part-time. He is housed and shares space with others in a three-bedroom apartment. He has one shelf in the refrigerator to store his food and has a cat, James, who has been his companion for a decade. He occasionally has difficulty with housemates eating his food.

When Jack comes to see us at LHR, we take care to pack smaller sized items and individual serving sizes if possible. That way, he can keep to his single shelf in the refrigerator. We also provide shelf stable items that he keeps in his room so that he always has food, even if his housemates’ teenager raids his refrigerator items. James, the tuxedo cat, is also on our radar. We provide cat food from our Pet Pantry through partnerships with the Humane Society of Loudoun and Loudoun County Animal Services.

Jack is making his budget work with the help of everyone who provides food, fund and volunteer help to Loudoun Hunger Relief. He thanks you, and James says his food is “puuuurrrrfect.”