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7 selections of fresh vegetables
6 selections of
fresh fruits
7 varieties of
frozen meats
5 bags of
non-perishables
1 bag of paper
products and personal care items
Gifts from a Secret Pal
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"When
life hands you lemons, make lemonade" is an adage that 61 year old Ginger
likes to use regularly. It is good to know that she has such a positive
outlook, because life has handed her many lemons! Ginger is new to our
program, but we have known her for a long time. As you know, her mother
Violet used to be in our program, but recently passed away at the age of 100
after receiving our monthly delivery for 15 years! We know that Ginger also
benefited emotionally and nutritionally from the monthly delivery because of
her situation, and we hope you agree with us that to abandon her after
Violet passed away would be very painful. We are thankful that you have
agreed to continue the support of Ginger. Following is a current report of
her situation.
This past year has
obviously been especially hard on Ginger, but she has experienced hardship
and opposition her whole life. She says that the happiest time of her life
was her first 11 years when both of her parents were alive. When times where
better her family would take trips up to their cabin in Northern Wisconsin
where they had horses, lambs, and ponies. As fate would have it, her father
died of lung cancer when she was 11, and shortly after that she developed
crippling polio. Life became exceedingly difficult for Ginger and her
mother, Violet, but the two stuck by each other. Violet and Ginger were
lifelong companions, always taking care of each other as best they could. To
help herself feel better Ginger enjoys listening to music, playing board
games, and surfing the internet. Ginger is especially proud to say that she
was able to work her way through college and earn her Master Degree in
Rehabilitation Counseling from the Illinois Institute of Technology even
while battling Polio! After graduating in 1979 Ginger went on to work at the
Ray Graham Association for People with Disabilities for approximately 10
years. Unfortunately, because of her illness Ginger was no longer able to
continue doing what she loved.
Ginger's health problems
give her a great deal of stress, as well. Beyond suffering from polio she
must combat osteoarthritis, which gives her terrible joint pain, asthma and
other polio-related
ailments. Worst of all, Ginger is almost completely bed bound, so her
ability to do routine daily activities that we take for granted is very
limited. Each day an aide must come into her home to help perform the tasks
that her crippled body cannot handle, such as using the bathroom, bathing,
and getting dressed. You can imagine the kind of heartache and depression
that clouds Ginger each day. On top of this, her limited income of about
$763 a month from disability does not help to alleviate this pain. Knowing
that she will have a steady stream of support has to take away the anxiety
of trying to make ends meet on a budget that leaves a lot to be desired. And
yet we know that Ginger has the heart of a warrior to forge on in spite of
the many hurtles she is required to make.
That's where HSP
comes in! Ginger tells us what a huge difference it makes to receive monthly
grocery deliveries from HSP, including various kinds of food, personal care
items and gifts for around the house. She says that the money she saves on
these items helps out with the bills a great deal. What's more, friendly
volunteers show up right at her door each month so that she doesn't have to
find a way to acquire food on her own. Ginger says that no matter what
happens in her life, she will always have faith. We are thankful to you for
coming together with us to affirm her positive attitude!
Things to Remember about Ginger:
• Ginger’s birthday is May 23, 1945.
• Her monthly income is $763.
• She enjoys surfing the internet and listening to music.
• Her favorite food is seafood.
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