Transcript:
Brittney:
I have no choice but to think about it. I can’t not think about it. He has to eat. He’s the reason I keep going and the reason I keep fighting.
My name is Brittney Torres, and I’m from the Bronx, New York.
School kid:
I missed you all day.
Brittney:
You did!
I started off as a school aide, and now I’m a para.
Brittney’s Son (Julius):
We’re writing about what we’re inspired by—okay?
Brittney:
Not a lot of people get the opportunity to work in their child’s school.
He gets to see me in the building, and that comforts him.
I’ve had to make some difficult decisions—sometimes it’s whether I eat or my son eats. There are nights when I’ll take a few bites and say, “No, I’m full. You can have the rest.”
One in three kids not knowing where their food is going to come from is sad—and it hurts. But you see it every day.
I wish I could help more. I receive $469 in SNAP benefits, and that’s what helps me pay my bills and make sure Julius and I have food.
If SNAP were cut, it would be terrifying. The cost of living is so high right now—it feels impossible to keep food in the house.
The mental stress, the fear of losing that help—I can’t sleep at night. I try to make it look like everything’s okay, so he doesn’t know. But I live it every day.
Like today—I have nothing in the house, and I don’t know what I’m going to do.
Well… now I do know what I’m going to do—because of you guys.
What gives me hope is that I have a job. I have income coming in, so I know I can get to where I need to be.
Have a heart. Think about the families who work hard and still can’t get by. Think about your own family—how would you feel if you couldn’t have Thanksgiving, or didn’t know where your next meal would come from?
