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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 62-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's her mother, Violet, used to be in our program, but recently passed away at the age of 100
after receiving our monthly grocery 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 have been very painful.
The past couple of years have,
obviously, been especially hard on Ginger, but she has experienced hardship
and opposition her entire 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 a
crippling case of 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 Masters Degree in
Rehabilitation Counseling from the Illinois Institute of Technology even
while battling the effects of polio! After graduating in 1979, Ginger worked 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. Beyond suffering from the effects of 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 the 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. We know that Ginger has the heart of a warrior to
be able to forge on as she has, in spite of the many hurtles she is required
to jump over.
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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