Hunger in Floyd County

At 53-years-old, Joyce never dreamed she would be raising a 7-year-old, but when her daughter dropped him off at her house several years ago, she was determined to raise him with love and provide him with all she could. Without a car, that challenge intensifies for Joyce, but thanks to the concern and support of her neighbor and friend, Vivian, these two have teamed up to meet the needs of their families together. For nearly a year, Joyce and Vivian have walked over to the Clean Socks Hope Dare to Care co-op in downtown New Albany on distribution days, to receive food assistance. As the week progresses and food begins to run out, the two of them often team up again, load their three children ages 7, 5 and 4 in a small red wagon and head to the nearby grocery on foot. It’s nearly a mile. Without Dare to Care and the food they receive through the Dare to Care network, these two believe they wouldn’t survive. “If I didn’t have this, we just wouldn’t make it,” says 30-year-old Vivian. “This food here really pulls us through,” Vivian says. Before finding out about Clean Socks and Dare to Care, Vivian says she and her husband frequently cut back on food, and often skipped multiple meals in order to feed the kids. But now there’s hope.