“Sometimes I come up short trying to buy food at the grocery store,” says Carl Garrett.
Though he doesn’t look a day over 50, Carl is actually 71 years old. Like millions of other hungry Americans before him, Carl worked his whole life – most recently, he built cabinets and manufactured food labels – but outlived his retirement fund.
The lengths to which Carl used to go to access emergency food assistance speaks to the severity of his need. Carl lives only about 3 ½ miles from 4Saints, but he hasn’t had a car since 2016. The trip to the pantry required Carl to take three different buses and lasted two hours each way. And then Carl met Mark Daly.
For the past several years, Mark has spent a few hours each Friday loading groceries into clients’ vehicles. Mark also volunteers with another nonprofit agency to drive people who don’t have transportation to medical appointments. So, when Mark got to know Carl and learned of his transportation challenges, it was only natural for him to offer his new friend a ride.
Mark now regularly drives Carl, along with a few additional 4Saints clients, to and from the pantry. The trips themselves last but a few minutes each, but the impact of the connection is long lasting.