East Bay couple donates stimulus checks to local food banks

ALAMEDA, Calif. - An East Bay couple is making a difference by putting their federal government stimulus money to good use.

Tim Hardin and his wife Darlene paid it forward.

They say it was a "no-brainer."  They donated the money to a nonprofit that feeds the hungry.

From the couple's home, Hardin is now using Zoom to teach biology to his Alameda High students. But there is another lesson he's teaching that is not in the textbooks.

"I want them to know they can make a difference," said Hardin.  

So he showed them how.

Hardin and his wife Darlene, a retired elementary school teacher said they just received $2,400 in stimulus money from the federal government.

"This specific money was to ease people who are hurting and we are not hurting," said Darlene.  

The Hardins said the news stories they saw with people in their cars in long lines to get free food  moved  them. 

"It was heartbreaking to know that our cabinets and fridge is full," said Darlene.

The couple donated $1,900 dollars to Feeding America, a network that provides to food banks across the country.

The nonprofit informed them that the donation would provide 19,000 meals to families in need, that every $1 donation buys 10 meals.

It's something that surprised the Hardins. They said it reinforces the idea that each person can make a difference.

"Even if you donate 10 bucks, 20 bucks, 30 bucks, it's going to help a lot of people," said Hardin.  

It's a lesson about empathy to his students.

"It's a good way to make people happier during this time when people are by themselves," said 15-year-old Roxy Farzaneh and that she's not surprised by her teacher's generosity.  

The couple said they're blessed to have a home that they just paid off last month and that they've donated to the Alameda Food Bank and Meals on Wheels.

"You get a lot of people making a little difference. You'll add up to a huge amount of difference made," said Hardin.

In June, the biology teacher will be retiring. It'll also be the couple's 25th wedding anniversary.

The Hardin's say they're planning a small celebration at home, with any extra money going to feeding the hungry.