SUMMER 2017 Feeding Eastern Massachusetts Your Support Helps a Family Heal • Catherine's Message • Faces of Hunger • Spotlight Stories • Latest News and more! feature stories in every issue • Closing the Summer Meal Gap with Healthy Food • Lending a Helping Handstand • A New Partnership Connecting Hunger and Health • Enterprise "Fills the Tank" for Hunger Relief GETTING HEALTHY FOOD FROM GBFB TO THOSE IN NEED The medical costs to save the life of her 4-year-old son, diagnosed with a brain tumor, led Heba's family to lose their home. When her husband abandoned the family, she became the sole provider for her four children and her two parents. On the brink of homelessness, Heba began receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) benefits. Two years ago, Heba began working as a paraprofessional at the site of The Greater Boston Food Bank's School-based Pantry at the Paul Revere Innovation School in Revere. Now Heba, 39, can supplement her overstretched SNAP benefits with fresh, healthy food for her family. This is Heba’s story. “I had my first daughter, Seba, in 2001, my son, Pheras, in 2004, and twin boys in 2008. When I was pregnant with the twins, Pheras began complaining of headaches and stopped eating because he felt so sick. Doctors said he had a brain tumor and they needed to perform immediate surgery. Continued on p. 3 inside harvest: HEBA'S STORY