Father of two grateful for food bank while unemployed

NORRISTOWN » Remember, discover, connect: It’s a mantra the September 11th National Memorial Trail Alliance uses to describe a path that pays tribute to the victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks.

A 30-mile stretch of the Sept. 11 National Memorial Trail runs through Montgomery County, according to Bill Hartman, open space planning manager for the Montgomery County Planning Commission.

“Obviously and symbolically, the trail ties the county to this broader recognition of the people lost on 9/11 and the resilience and perseverance of our country,” Hartman said.

Hartman noted that the 1,300-mile trail encompasses six states in an effort to join the sites of the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia and the Flight 93 plane crash site in Shanksville,

Pennsylvania.

“The initial vision for the trail was to create an active memorial honoring those who gave their lives upholding America’s values of freedom and democracy during and following the 9/11 attacks,” Hartman said during a Montgomery County Board

Having survived times of unemployment and financial instability this year due to the ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic, Mario, a father of two, is grateful for the generosity of a local food pantry that has helped him feed his family.

“The pandemic did a lot of damage. I was out of work for six months,” the 48-year-old construction worker said during a recent interview. “The food bank has been helping out a good span of the time. It’s wonderful to have that and I’m so grateful.”

Mario has relied on the North Coventry Food Pantry for assistance.

“I’m back to work now but being out of work for six months was a headache and my bills were behind,” added Mario, whose girlfriend tested positive for the coronavirus early in the pandemic and has since recovered. “She had to seclude herself from us for a couple of weeks.”

Now that he’s returned to work, Mario is slowly catching up, paying bills that had lapsed during the pandemic, but as Christmas nears he said it will still be difficult to make his children’s Christmas wishes come true. Mario’s 2-year-old daughter hopes to receive dolls for Christmas and his 4-year-old son hopes Santa Claus will bring him some toy trucks.

Mario said he’ll try to provide a few gifts for his children but that it will be difficult with the budget

SUBMITTED PHOTO The trail serves as a tribute to the fallen heroes who perished on September 11, 2001, and the many heroes who committed themselves to the response for their country.