Before his retirement, Dean Wise, a father and grandfather, was a Harvesters donor. Today, he and his family are facing food insecurity and utilizing the monthly food distribution at North Kansas City YMCA, a Harvesters partner agency.  

Dean’s daughter, a federal employee and mother of two, uses SNAP to help provide for her family. His nephew also relies on the federal nutrition program due to a disability. 

“It makes me feel kind of sad and disappointed that the government, as big as it is, is trying to pull back on the resources for people who need help,” said Dean.  

When SNAP benefits were paused during the government shutdown in October, the plethora of other active threats to food insecurity did not. SNAP recipients who relied on these benefits were forced to strategize how they would maintain stable access to foods that nourish their families. Contributions from the community became crucial to keeping these families fed.  

“I wish more people realized how easy it is to grab a few extra cans and donate. It would really help,” Dean explained.   

While adjusting to all of these changes, the family began cutting back on spending money during the holiday season.   

“We have a lot of fall birthdays. We’ve had to forego a little bit of present buying to be able to help and get food,” he said.    

SNAP would have allowed the family to comfortably experience the holiday season rather than worrying about how they were going to eat, which should be a basic human right.  

“We used to have big family get-togethers, but this year it might not be as large because people do not have the funds to attend,” Dean feared.  

The weight of not being able to feed your family is a parent’s worst fear. Dean’s story reminded us of the power of taking care of others and that anyone can suddenly find themselves in need. 

“Harvesters has helped a lot. Before I retired from United Way, Harvesters was always my charity donation. I’m so happy I did that now.”