Hunger Awareness Month: One man’s story shows who is on food stamps

I’m 54 years old and the past few years have been rough.

Before I moved to Pittsburgh I was mainly living in Boston. I worked in the music business my whole life.

Things were kind of drying up so I moved back to Worcester (Massachusetts) where I grew up to be a writer for a weekly paper there. It only paid $26,000 but it was a real job.

But the paper closed last May, and since then I’ve been struggling. I came to Pittsburgh because a friend told me a record label out here knew of me and was interested in me. They offered me a job.

They met with me three times. I took the job and moved here, but they basically misled me. They paid me less money than they promised and wanted me doing all kinds of illegal things – piracy, running scams, really criminal activity.

So I kept butting heads with them. I moved here February 15 and they fired me March 28.

They wouldn’t pay me unemployment because I hadn’t worked there long enough. I called the Pennsylvania Board of Labor but because it’s an at-will state, I don’t have any legal standing.

So now I’m struggling. I found a commission-based job making $8/hr. Sometimes I make so little the guy just pays me in cash. I’m not even going to make $200 a week. I’ve got 48 cents in my bank account.

I’m renting a place for $625 and I’m way behind on rent. I signed up for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, but now I can’t even pay for that.

I’m running out of options and I’m all alone. I have a brother who’s a multi-millionaire, but do you think he’d help me? No.

I was so ashamed to come in to Just Harvest today. My friends kept urging me to come but I waited as long as I could.

I’ve never had to ask for help in my life. I’m not looking for long-term handouts, just something to get me through the next few months.

I have two cats and they’re the only things that are keeping me going.

This is not how I envisioned my move to Pittsburgh.”