This happened to me years ago while I was in school. I have never told anyone.
I was a single mom with two little girls. I was working seven days a week and going to nursing school at night.Money was VERY tight.By the time I paid the mortgage, bills, tuition and put gas in the car there was not very much money left over for things like food. I had family that would have helped but I only asked when I was desperate.One of my two jobs was doing homecare in the community.One day as I was driving to a client's house I was going over in my mind what groceries I needed to buy and was wondering if I had any money left in my account to actually buy anything.I needed something to feed the kids for breakfast the next morning and something to send in their lunches.Some tea would have been nice too.I said a silent prayer that there was some money left in the bank for some food.At the end of the day when I was at my last client the agency phones and asked me if I could squeeze in one more client before I went home.I was really tired but the address was close by and I could use the extra hour of pay.
I went the address I was given. It was an apartment building I had been to many times but I had never seen this man before.He was a pleasant little Italian man that was very glad to see someone.At the end of the visit I was changing into my outdoor shoes when the man thrust a plastic bag at me, explaining that his sister bought his groceries for him and she had bought him things he didn't want. He said perhaps I could use them.I accepted the bag and rushed out to my car, to embarrased to open it in front of him. I opened the bag and I couldn't believe my eyes. In side was a loaf of bread,some lunch meat, a box of cereal,a package of cookies..... and a box of tea.Exactly the things I had said the silent prayer for.I could hardly see to drive home because of the tears in my eyes.
Today I helped my girls move into an apartment together.One has finished college and one starts a nursing program in January.Those hard times seem so long ago but I still try to not forget all the help I received along the way.