From Giving Tuesday on December 2 to the end of the year, United Way is hosting our Year-End Giving Campaign, titled “Hope Doesn’t Quit, Neither Do We.” Our campaign provides an opportunity for our community to support families facing hunger. Every donation makes a difference in giving groceries, hot meals, and emergency food assistance to our neighbors. Our goal is to direct resources to nonprofit organizations that serve those most affected. This blog post spotlights a recipient of one of our hunger-fighting programs—Home Grocery.

Carol Han is your neighbor.

She’s a resident of King County (Renton), which means that, like 40% of us here, she owns cats. She doesn’t own a television, but she enjoys watching Christian broadcasting shows on her iPhone. And she can really cook: Her favorite dishes are wonton potstickers and homemade Mandu (dumplings).

And like many of your neighbors, Han needs to make every dollar count. Her Social Security Disability Insurance enables her to make ends meet, and she was one of thousands of local residents who wondered when her SNAP benefits would resume during the recent government shutdown. Her disability once left her hospitalized, and these days, it can make even tasks like going for groceries challenging.

But like many of your neighbors, Han takes on those challenges with a warm smile and a bright outlook. Her faith has kept her grounded during difficult times, and she is grateful for resources like the United Way of King County’s Home Grocery Delivery Program, which provides the essentials she needs when resources are scarce or she is unable to access the supermarket or food bank.

“For me, everything is good,” said Han, who will be 59 in December. “A long time ago, I had a good family, and schooling and church; it was a cozy environment for me. But then I lived without a home, hospitalized. I cried all night and prayed, but got no answer from God, I thought. But now I have everything; he has provided me with a rich home and education with my family.

“I have enough, but sometimes I’m short of fresh produce. The produce at [the supermarket] is a little bit higher than my income,” Han added. “I go to the local food bank, but since I don’t have a car and I’m disabled, it’s hard to get produce. I do appreciate that I can get fresh produce [delivered] from the Tukwila Pantry [emergency food bank]. This time of the year, the energy bill increases a lot, too, so I really appreciate the food bank’s produce.”

Han is among the thousands who receive free groceries weekly via United Way’s program. Through a partnership with Amazon, DoorDash, and dozens of King County food banks (including Tukwila Pantry), the Home Grocery Delivery Program reimagines the way the emergency food system works so that we can better serve all our neighbors, including low-income and households of color. The program has completed over 900,000 such deliveries, making it one of the busiest food bank delivery services in the nation.

“Food banks can’t be open 24/7, and many neighbors are living on fixed incomes and facing mobility or transportation barriers and therefore struggle to get the food they need,” said Hannah Gauntz, United Way Food Security Program Coordinator. “The Home Delivery Program brings the food bank to them, delivering groceries directly to their door so they can eat well and use their limited budgets for other essentials.”

Han has been part of the grocery delivery program since June of last year. She said she especially enjoys the delivery box that is culturally specific to the Asian American/Pacific Islander Community. She shares the box with her mom. “It has a lot of good quality onions, potatoes, tomatoes, celery, and grapes,” she said. She added that the Home Grocery Delivery program was recommended to her by others in her community who found visiting the food bank challenging. Her weekly deliveries, she said, are now part of her routine.

“They deliver the same day around the same time,” she said. “On Thursday, I got a text message to confirm the delivery. I usually confirm a delivery, and then on Tuesday afternoon, they deliver it. Sometimes when I have extra produce, I skip a delivery.”

Come Thanksgiving, the smells of a home-cooked meal will waft out of Han’s kitchen, like those of her neighbors. “I bought the smallest turkey with the help of a supermarket coupon,” she said, “and [with Home Grocery Delivery food], I’ll cook it with potatoes, onions, Teriyaki sauce, and butter.”

Amid a year marred by a federal government shutdown that halted many of our neighbors’ nutrition program benefits, United Way is grateful to help people like Han, who, despite her challenges, has found ways to keep food on the table and make sure her mom can do the same.

“I don’t wish for any other things,” Han said. “When I am sad or depressed, I have friends and my cats that make me happy.”

When you invest in United Way’s work through our Year-End Giving Campaign, you help us strengthen our community and ensure that everyone has the support they need. To give, log onto uwkc.org/donate.