Hot was an understatement. But temperatures pushing 100 didn’t stop folks from coming out to the Produce and Health Fair in Northglenn this summer. Before the fair opened at 9:00 a.m., the line was already reaching beyond the block and around the corner. People were waiting for healthy food – food they could not otherwise afford. Volunteers scurried to ready the pallets of bananas, carrots, plums, bread and yogurt provided by FBR. Gardeners had also donated some lettuce and tomatoes. As people reached the food, we asked them their stories. Let me introduce Savannah.
This young woman was expecting her first child any day. “I just registered for food stamps,“ she says, “and that’s how I found out about this fair. There’s some good information here on nutrition and fruits and veggies. I’m also going to get the car seat checked for safety before the baby comes.” After the baby arrives Savannah plans to take six weeks off -unpaid. “My boyfriend works too, but without my income, we can’t cover the bills. My mom was just laid off from a tech company, so she’s not able to help us. She’s struggling herself. Without programs like this one, we’d have more credit card debt or worse, we just wouldn’t eat every day. This baby needs nutrition. I wouldn’t be able to provide that for him or her.”
