“Pride Should Never Get in the Way of Hunger”: Reba’s Story
“What does hunger look like?”
Reba knows the answer may surprise you.
“To someone, I may not look like hunger,” she says.
Reba is a Jacksonville native with three degrees. She loves hunting, fishing, watching sports and keeping up with the news. She has built a full, active life and accomplished a great deal. And yet, there have been times when she has needed help putting food on the table.
That’s the thing about hunger: it doesn’t always look the way we expect it to.
Reba has experienced that firsthand. More than a decade ago, she walked through the doors of the LSS Food Pantry needing help. What she found was more than a box of groceries. She found kindness, dignity and a community that never made her feel small.
Today, Reba still comes to the pantry when she needs help — and has also volunteered her time there helping others in their time of need.
“You would be amazed to see what hunger looks like,” she says.
Her story is a reminder that anyone can face a season when they need a helping hand. And there should never be shame in reaching for one.
Walking Through the Door
Over the years, Reba has watched the LSS Food Pantry grow from a small room serving about 400 households a month to the pantry we operate today, serving 1,700 households each month.
But what kept her coming back wasn’t just the food. It was the way she was treated.
“When you come to LSS, they don’t treat you like you are some nobody,” she says. “They all make you feel welcome. Anything they may do to help you, they do… they find all kinds of resources you may need.”
Reba says she has never seen a staff member or volunteer treat someone poorly — even when that kindness is not returned. For her, that compassion is what makes LSS special.
“That’s what this place is about; it’s about helping people. They have truly been a blessing to me and my family.”
Going Beyond Food
The first time Reba came to the pantry, she was accompanying a neighbor. She wasn’t there for food herself, but was encouraged to take a box too, if she needed it. Facing health challenges of her own, Reba found that food assistance from LSS could help make a limited income stretch far enough to cover other necessities.
Housing, utilities, medication and transportation don’t pause when money gets tight. For many people, groceries are the only place left to cut back. Over the years, when ends didn’t meet, help from the pantry meant Reba could keep those necessities covered without having to go without food.
And sometimes, needs extend beyond people. Pantry staff have seen how difficult it can be for families to keep beloved pets fed when money is tight. That’s why partnerships that provide pet food can make a difference, too.
“When they started getting dog food from the Jacksonville Humane Society, I thought that was just a blessing,” Reba says. “My daughter has dogs, and it has been a blessing — to them and to me.”
Reba’s Message to Others
Reba knows she is not alone in needing help. She also knows many people who need assistance but are afraid to ask for it.
“Their pride gets in the way,” she says.
Then she offers a message that says so much about why she is willing to share her story: “Pride should never get in the way of hunger.”
Her message is especially for the people she worries may be least likely to reach out.
“If anyone out there gets this message, please — seniors, veterans, military—don’t be afraid. Please come, get help.”
What Makes LSS Possible
Reba has witnessed the growth of the LSS Food Pantry firsthand — from a small distribution center open just two hours a day to a pantry now serving 1,700 households each month, five days a week, with an additional Saturday distribution each month. LSS also operates a mobile pantry three times a month.
That growth doesn’t happen on its own. It happens because people choose to give.
Donor generosity has helped LSS expand its ability to meet hunger in our community, reaching nearly five times as many households each month as the pantry did when Reba first walked through its doors.
Reba came to LSS needing food. She stayed because she found a community. And eventually, she became someone who gives her own time back to the pantry.
That’s what a gift to LSS can grow into.
Your support helps make sure that when someone like Reba needs a helping hand, there is a place where they can find food, compassion and dignity — and maybe, one day, an opportunity to give back to someone else.
Help us make sure no one in our community has to face hunger alone. Please consider becoming one of 100 Strong! Your monthly gift of $10 makes sure one of our neighbors, like Reba, has food on the table today — and the kindness and community that can help them find their way forward.
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