Sara and her son, Keegan, at the Jefferson Food Pantry.
One in six Americans are impacted by food insecurity. At HelloFresh, we are committed to changing this statistic, and helping ensure fresh food is available and accessible to anyone in their time of need. We created LimeAid as one way to help individuals and families experiencing hardship or lack of food security. This program allows neighbors, friends, or family members to nominate loved ones in need for a chance to win six months of free HelloFresh meals.
One recipient of the LimeAid program is Sara Ariss, a Wisconsin native, who unexpectedly found herself facing food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, Sara shared her story on GMA3 to talk about the stigma around food insecurity, and how her own struggles inspired her to give back to her community. Despite the challenges she faced, Sara innovated the operations of local food pantries to better serve families like hers.
From Comfort to Unforeseen Challenges
Sara Ariss is a single mother of three, ages 13 to 17. After losing her well-paying job during COVID-related layoffs, she struggled to get back into the workforce. Running out of savings while caring for a son who endured an unexpected life-threatening accident, Sara needed support.
Sara’s kids enjoy preparing a HelloFresh meal.
She immediately turned her attention to the most essential need: food—how was she going to put food on the table for her kids? She started frequenting a food pantry in her area out of necessity but struggled with the lack of healthy options and of course, the stigma that comes with being food insecure.
Turning Corporate Skills into Community Service
Food became a passion for Sara, not just a need. She decided to apply her corporate skills to the non-profit food pantry world. For two and a half years, she volunteered as a food pantry consultant, dedicating her time to enhancing the operations of food pantries to better meet the needs of food insecure families like hers. Today, she manages the Jefferson Food Pantry – which serves 1,500 individuals weekly. “I am the people I serve,” she said.
But, Sara continued to encounter roadblocks. Her innate desire and passion for giving back to her community proved less fruitful than her previous well-paying job. But, she refused to stop serving because there are so many of her low-income neighbors still in need. Sara selflessly put her community before herself.
Moving Forward, Together
Meal-kit inspired options at the Jefferson Food Pantry.
Seeing Sara struggle to balance serving her community with cooking healthy meals for her own family, one of Sara’s volunteers secretly nominated her for HelloFresh’s LimeAid program. Sara used these meals to put healthy food on the table for her teens while also teaching them about nutrition.
She was so inspired by her experience of cooking with HelloFresh, she integrated the meal kit model into her food pantry operations, offering more accessibility and variety in their food selection to community members in need.
Sara is breaking the stigma surrounding food insecurity. She knows that providing connection, resources and support can be life changing in bringing hope and dignity to those needing food assistance. We applaud her unwavering dedication and are honored to support her through the LimeAid program. Sara’s story reminds us that we can make a difference, one meal at a time.
For more information about LimeAid and our other community-giving programs, head here.
