JOUR 2102 - Journalist’s Toolbox
This story was reproduced with permission of the author, Hanna McGuire, written for JOUR 2102, Journalist's Toolbox course in Spring 2026. Visit Hanna’s website here!
Sandi Paavola, mother of three, is a resident of the Central Hillside area, where finding affordable healthy food is not always easy. The family has access to two vehicles and is a SNAP participant.
“I try to go [grocery shopping] when I don’t have my kids, but lately I’ve been taking them to try and teach them things, like how to behave in the store to get stuff that I know they’ll eat because a lot of the times I’ll get the things that I think they like and the things they used to like, and now they don’t like them,” said Paavola.
When Paavola brings her kids grocery shopping, it becomes overwhelming, and the trip is typically shorter. They tend to hit the fruit and produce section first, then bread and frozen items, leaving snack items for last.
Paavola’s biggest challenge is getting meals that are easy to make, but are also healthy for her and her family. She doesn’t like to spend a lot of time cooking because it takes time to prepare, make and clean up the meal.
“Being a single parent is a lot of work, keeping the kids entertained and letting them take part as well. So it’s a lot of struggle in itself,” Paavola said.
Paavola says that a skill she has learned is to bulk shop, buying bigger amounts of meat is helpful because she can freeze it and then take it out to cook later. She visits the food shelf and bargain shops. Paavola also stresses that she tries to buy lots of fruit and vegetables to ensure her children are getting proper nutrition.
“My son is really opposed to eating vegetables right now. I don’t know if it’s just a phase where my daughter will eat vegetables straight up, and then my teenager just wants to eat pizza,” Paavola said.
When all three kids have different eating habits, it is hard to accommodate each one's preferences and teach them healthy eating habits.
“I’ve kind of just become used to eating lunch meat sandwiches, something quick. I don’t even put sauce on my sandwiches anymore, just put the cheese in the meat and eat or even just bread and meat,” Paavola said. “Usually I kind of skip my meals during the day and then eat dinner with the kids.”
This is the reality for Paavola, putting the needs of her children before her own when it comes to eating habits.
Despite the challenges, Paavola works hard to balance money, time, and her children's individual needs with the resources she has. With every grocery trip, quick, affordable meals that require compromise reflect the reality that many Central Hillside families face when access to affordable, healthy food is limited.