Do you fret over keeping a stocked fridge and pantry? Want to be absolutely certain you're prepared for any and every nutritional necessity? For some, that struggle has taken over their life in the form of hoarding. Stuffed: Food Hoarders takes a look at the people, stories and habits behind this peculiar and persistent compulsion.
Click through to see a preview of these food hoarders' kitchens.
Corinne
Corrine's kitchen is full of "stuff." She buys more food than her family can eat and is running out of space to do any cooking.
Food hoarding is defined by three basic characteristics: An excessive acquisition of food, an inability to organize it and extreme discomfort letting it go.
Corrine longs to be able to organize and clean her kitchen, but is overwhelmed with the task because it will never be perfect. Obsessive perfectionism is a common chracteristic among food hoarders, and ironically leaves her in the extreme opposite situation.
Reusable food containers take an equally oversized place on Corinne's counters. Her kitchen is a safety hazard.
The hoarding goes beyond the kitchen and into the rest of her home, affecting her family's social interactions. Her children are too embarrassed to invite friends over.
Will a personal organizer be able to help Corrine overcome her hoarding OCD and make a fresh start?
John
John has been hoarding food for years. Experts say that some people have not thrown out food for so long, they have forgetten how. Food hoarders often forget what criterion to use when making critical decisions that could influence their quality of life.
It's tough for John to admit his dining room is not currently functioning as a dining room, but he acknowledges that he misses being able to gather his family at the table to enjoy a meal together.
Even John's dummy says the situation has gotten out of hand.
Shari
"I don't think I'm a food hoarder" says Shari. She explains to a personal organizer that her father was a grocer and always had lots of extra food at home, so to her it feels natural to have some extra lying around.
Putting new groceries in the back of the shelf and moving older items to the front is how Shari keeps her kitchen stocked. The problem? "Then the new stuff becomes the old stuff," her son says.
Can The Hoarding Be Helped?
These three quirky characters have met their match when Stuffed: Food Hoaders matches them up with professional organizers and clean-up experts. See who comes out on top as they overcome their fears and face these debilitating compulsions head on.
