VIDEO: See How Thrive Gives is Helping a Single Mom of Six Access Healthy Food

After spending almost nine years in China, single mom of six Lisa Misraje needs a little help to make sure her kids grow up healthy.

When Lisa and family set off to build orphanages in China for three months, she never would have guessed that her sojourn would turn into a years-long commitment. While the Misrajes’ life overseas was a blessing in many ways—during that time, the family grew with the adoption of two children, including Levi, a burn survivor—exposure to the country’s environmental pollutants for years wasn’t ideal. Government officials in the capital city of Beijing have recently issued an unprecedented red alert due to excessive air pollution.

Now, back on U.S. soil in Menifee, Calif., Lisa is dedicated to boosting her kids’ health—all six of them, including four sons and two daughters. But it’s been tougher since she got divorced and returned to school to get her college degree. “When we moved back, I’d go to the grocery stores and see organic food and wish I could afford it,” she says.

In the Misraje household, as many single parents can relate to, the mornings can be a little hectic in the dash to get everyone fed and out the door. Eating a healthy breakfast isn’t always easy. “Food was kind of like survival—okay, let’s eat, let’s eat, and let’s go on to the next thing,” Lisa says. Even once the kids all go off to school and work for the day, Lisa doesn’t always have time to think a ton about eating healthy—she’s currently pursuing higher education to continue her work serving orphans and underprivileged populations.

We were so inspired by Lisa’s devotion to the health and wellness of not only her own family, but others as well, that we wanted to help make things easier by giving the Misrajes a free Thrive Gives membership. And they were gracious enough to welcome us into their home to meet the family—including their dog Bogey. Watch the video to learn more about what healthy living means to a real-life supermom.

Video credits
Produced and Directed by: Liza Glucoft
Director of Photography: Naeem Munaf
Editor: Stephanie Provence

We believe that everyone deserves the right to access healthy food. But even in the United States, it can prove impossible for some families. So we created Thrive Gives: a program that gives access, family by family, to affordable, healthy, and wholesome food. Click here to see if you qualify for a free Thrive Gives membership!