She knows that she can’t expect the fridge to be full, and that snack time isn’t want it used to be.
“What we most like are snacks, like all kids," a 10-year-old girl told NBC 6, with the raw innocence of a child but with the profound understanding of someone who is experiencing a tough time in life. "I just want this to end. I want us to be happy again like we used to be.”
The child is processing the food struggle brought on by the financial toll of the coronavirus pandemic. Her parents gave NBC 6 permission to interview her.
“We are not actually poor, but we are struggling a lot right now,” she said.
That struggle is something we are seeing across the country and across South Florida. The girl’s family lines up at distribution sites alongside the many others looking for free food sources.
When you don’t have money for food, you don’t have money for much else.
HELPING HANDS
“Like right now, I want new shoes, but my mom doesn’t have money to buy me, my shoes are dirty and old," she said.
Even though life is tough right now, she tries to focus on what she does have.
“Actually, I have some candies my neighbor gave me for all of us," she said.
Her stash of candies might as well be a treasure chest. She’s trying to hold onto it for as long as possible, like one might guard precious jewels.
The 10-year-old knows her neighbor isn’t much better off than her family, but where she lives, there’s a culture of helping one another.
“We help a lot, and people help us, too," she said. "This neighborhood is like that."
And with that life experience comes some wisdom from a 10-year-old that can help many of us keep things in perspective amid the financial toll of this pandemic.
