Stories

Did you know that food insecurity is a major problem in the city of Charlotte? 

How big of a problem? 

Think 150,000+ individuals in Mecklenburg County big. Additionally, around 80% of those individuals don’t have consistent access to transportation. That means, even if it’s a good week financially, accessing places like grocery stores, farmers markets, or even food banks, is still a challenge. Surprised? I was. In a city where popular grocery store chains seem to pop up like weeds, reading the stats was a shock. 

Walking to the grocery store in Detroit in the 1970s, 6-year-old Angela Gray loved math and counting money.

“I remember going to the store with my mom and they had a sign that read, ‘Sale Yogurt - 4 for a $1’. I told my mom, ‘That’s not a sale because the yogurt is usually 22 cents each,’  Gray reminisced. 

Who will feed me this weekend?

It's a question no child should have to ask. But for kids who rely on free and reduced meals at school for daily nutrition, it's a question they could face every Friday afternoon. Sixty-five hours of weekend with an empty belly is a long time, especially for a child trying to grow and learn.

There’s an old saying that each of our stories pivot on a single moment. 

That short pause between what is, and what could be.  

In a breath we can decide between what we wish to be true…

And what we can make happen. 

“Pathway.”

That’s what Camino means in Spanish.