Did you know that 63 percent of Americans are currently living paycheck to paycheck? Since most of us don’t have a stash of savings, just one major life change or unplanned expense can topple us into crisis mode. Thanks to organizations like Second Harvest Heartland food bank, people in need have a resource that provides the fresh food, canned goods, and household supplies that families need.

Juan Morales, a driver at Second Harvest, says he had never visited a food bank before he and his wife were both laid off simultaneously. When they were faced with this serious financial hardship, they made the decision to ask for help.

“I showed up with my head down,” Morales says. “I thought they were going to judge me. But it was the complete opposite. They were so welcoming.”

Second Harvest is housed within the 233,000-square-foot facility in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, where they serve 59 counties across Minnesota and Wisconsin — around 800,000 people a year. The Second Harvest team collects donated and rescued food, as well as household and personal items donated by companies like P&G, which are then packed and distributed to those in need.

When we think of what’s offered at a food bank, household items and personal care products aren’t necessarily the first things to come to mind. But these crucial necessities help clients at Second Harvest maintain a sense of dignity by giving them access to brands they trust to take care of their personal hygiene and clean their homes. From Pampers diapers to Pantene shampoo to laundry items and period products like Always and Tampax, P&G provides the everyday necessities beyond food that are essential for people to live. Sarah Moberg, Chief Operations Officer at Second Harvest Heartland, explains that when a shipment from P&G arrives, “these products fly out of our inventory.”

Many people try to avoid buying toiletries and household goods when they have to spend most of their cash on other important necessities like rent or gas. But these needed purchases can’t be put off for long. As Ethan Neal explains, “Anytime that we can provide any of these other products that people have to spend their dollars on, that’s really going to help that family stretch that dollar farther.”

“We all hit hard times,” Juan Morales says, “and we all need that extra help. [My family] doesn’t know what we would have done if that resource hadn’t been there.”

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