Yesica Gordillo with her 11-year-old son Christopher
By Ricardo Mejias
October 6, 2015 – When Yesica Gordillo learned that Food Bank For New York City offered free income tax assistance at her son’s school, PS 19 in Queens, she decided to take part. Not only did she get a sizable refund—money that this struggling single mom desperately needs—she also learned about Food Bank’s Food & Finances financial empowerment services, which offers one-on-one financial coaching at schools throughout the city, including her son’s school.
Yesica knew she had to sign up. “Although I work full time cleaning small businesses, I don’t make enough to cover my expenses,” she says. “I struggle to pay for food because it’s so expensive, and I have to make sacrifices every day to stretch my dollars.”
Yesica needed help managing her limited income in order to pay her bills, keep food on the table, and put a little away for savings. Her financial coach, Eunice Chica, is teaching her how to track her expenses, budget her money, reduce her debt, and has helped her open a saving account. Eunice also determined that Yesica was eligible for SNAP (food stamps) and connected her with a Food Bank benefits specialist who helped her enroll.
Now that she has an action plan in place, Yesica feels more in control and on the path to financial stability. “Before I started working with one of Food Bank’s financial coaches, thinking about money made me stressed,” she says. “Now I’m doing something about it. I feel hopeful—for me and my son.”
Ricardo Mejias is a former Marketing and Communications intern at Food Bank For New York City.