From Uncertainty to Belonging: A Mother's Journey with the Cossayuna Pantry

The Cossayuna Pantry

Jenn discovered the Cossayuna Pantry not long after moving to her new home in Hebron. She had recently been laid off and was just days away from giving birth to her son.  

The people at the pantry have become part of her tribe, she described. “They’ve seen him grow up,” she said, affectionately looking at her son sleeping in the backseat of her car. 

The Cossayuna Food Pantry operates out of the Cossayuna Fire Department as a satellite site of Comfort Food Community. It was established to reduce the distance rural residents must travel for emergency food assistance and has grown significantly over the past 12 years. When the fire department was building a new firehouse, then–Fire Chief Pat Donahue wanted to dedicate space for community use. As both fire chief and a Comfort Food Community volunteer, he witnessed firsthand how hunger and food insecurity affected local families. He offered space for a pantry within the fire house, and since 2013, it has been a cornerstone of support for the community. 

For Jenn, the pantry became a lifeline during those early months of her son’s life when everything felt uncertain. Newly unemployed, freshly relocated, and about to become a mother, Jenn wasn’t sure how she’d feed herself while also feeding her newborn son.  

While her son was breastfeeding, the pantry provided her with nutritious, prepackaged meals and fresh fruits and vegetables—essentials that helped sustain her during that vulnerable time. The prepackaged items were especially helpful in the midst of so much unpredictability, she recalled. 

Jenn has a wide range of work experience, having worked in solar energy, landscaping, food delivery, and the nonprofit sector. Just last week, she began a new job as a family care worker at LEAP—a nonprofit dedicated to helping individuals and families achieve economic and educational stability. In her new role, Jenn connects local families with resources, including Comfort Food Community’s pantries and Farm 2 Library sites.  

She has seen firsthand the community's needs, along with the fear and hesitation that often come with asking for help. It’s that experience—and the compassion that grew from it—that motivated her to share her story. “When you shed that fear, more people will be willing to step forward.” 

If you are interested in sharing your story, you can reach out to Anna at anna@comfortfoodcommunity.org.