13WMAZ first met Tonya Wright at Trinity United Methodist Church food pantry. She has a lot on her plate.
"I've had four strokes last year; I'm not 50 yet," she said. "None of the women in my family have lived past 57. We have something hereditary that runs in my family called Leigh's disease."
Leigh's syndrome is a severe neurological disorder where patients lose their physical and mental abilities. Most people affected by the disorder die young.
Tonya's son Aubrey also has Leigh's syndrome and is completely dependent on her.
"They told me he wouldn't live to be five," she said. "He just turned 27."
The two have seen worse times. Tonya says she was homeless a year ago.
"I don't want anyone to be homeless or hungry; I've been both," she said.
We asked Tonya about her prospects of getting a job.
"It is really hard to find one these days, and usually it doesn't pay enough to make ends meet," she explained about her job search. "I mean I get disability, and so does my son."
This has not always been Tonya's situation.
"I worked two jobs all my life and I did okay for myself," she said. "I didn't rely on anybody else."
Food is a common denominator for people in any situation.
We all have our recipes, our special ways to make things taste good, and even though this food comes from a food pantry, Tonya is no different.
"I make a homemade chocolate cake with those thin layers with a homemade granular fudge icing on it," she said about some of the items she picked up from the food pantry. "My oven doesn't work, but my toaster oven does and it takes a long time to bake one of those cakes in a toaster oven."
Tonya is a fighter battling a disease that could have taken her life years ago, so she doesn't let pride prevent her from asking for help.
"It doesn't bother me. I couldn't care less what anybody thought; that's what they're there... to help people like me. I think it's a blessing from God they brighten my days if I'm on a low day," she said.
Nobody likes to be hungry, but Tonya finds a way to be grateful.
"There's always someone worse off; that's what you have to remember. It's something you never get used to. It may not be the way you were raised but you make the best of what you have and thank God for it."
Fortunately, there are people all across the region battling food insecurity to help people like Tonya.
