Kenya talks about the challenges her family faced during the government shutdown.
For Kenya, every day begins the same way. Before sunrise, before quiet gives way to the sound of little feet. There’s breakfast to make, bottles to prepare, clothes to lay out. With one child in school, a baby on her hip, and another on the way, mornings in her Lincoln County home are full of motion and love.
But lately, that love has been stretched thin. When the government shutdown interrupted SNAP benefits, Kenya felt the fear rise immediately. “I was looking at the pantry thinking, how am I going to feed them?” she said.
As a single mother trying to balance a modest paycheck against rent, bills, and groceries, the loss of food assistance hit hard. Every dollar suddenly mattered more than ever. Still, she stayed focused on what she could control, making sure her girls were fed and her family kept going. “It’s a struggle,” she says. “I just wake up every day and do my best to make sure they’re okay.”
When her benefits didn’t arrive, Kenya turned to the Lincoln County Food Pantry, one of Golden Harvest’s hunger relief partners. There, she found more than food; she found care. Volunteers made sure families like hers had diapers, snacks, and canned goods to get them through the week. “They’re a good team,” she said. “They work hard to make sure you get what you need and get in and out quick. It helps a lot.”
Even as the new year begins, Kenya is holding on to the support around her. She and her sister share what they have so they can make sure there is always something on the table for their children.
The shutdown left many without clear answers, but families like Kenya’s remind us what resilience looks like and how neighbors, united in care and compassion, can help one another through difficult times.
