“I was able to scrape by with some seasonal gigs, but it’s hard on the Cape in the off-season months,” he said. Over time, it became harder for Joe to pay his bills and put food on the table. “Finally, there came a day when I couldn’t provide for my family—one of my biggest fears in life,” Joe said. “It scared me to think about my son growing up without nutritious food.” At the recommendation of a friend, Joe turned to the Falmouth Service Center for help. As a successful chef, husband and father, Joe makes a good living. At different times in his life, however, Joe found himself in need of help. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without the Falmouth Service Center and The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB),” said Joe, the 32-year-old Falmouth native. Raised by a single mother, Joe said he often went to the Falmouth Service Center—which receives 80 percent of its food from GBFB—with his mother and brother as a child. “We lived paycheck to paycheck,” Joe said. “I remember her telling me that whenever she opened the doors to the Service Center, she always felt a welcoming feeling.” Decades later, Joe was married, had a 2-year-old son and was working at a restaurant on Cape Cod when he was suddenly fired. Stories of Hope “It scared me to think about my son growing up without nutritious food.” - Joe, chef, husband and father 3 Joe, a chef working on Cape Cod, shows his son, Cullen, how to get a healthy start to his day. Your Support Gave Them Hope “When I walked through those sliding doors at the Service Center, the overwhelming feeling of being welcomed just hit me,” Joe said. For months, Joe took home bags full of high-quality food for his family, including fresh fruits and vegetables and healthy recipes to go along with them. Because of the help he received in his time of need, Joe was able to get back on his feet and is now an executive chef at a Falmouth restaurant. “I know that not only my family, but so many others around me have been helped by The Greater Boston Food Bank,” Joe said.