Reduced to living in his car, an unemployed factory worker wins a small lottery prize and treats his family to a day at Disneyland. They hide in the park to spend a night in the Swiss family Robinson tree house. In the morning, frustration turns to violence when Earl cannot even afford an ice cream for his little girl. Though charges are dropped, Earl can no longer cope and he leaves his family. Mother and child struggle to survive. When Earl eventually returns having found a job, his desperate wife has lost the ability to trust and to hope.
Food and Shleter was first presented at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, in December 1990. It was directed by Joy Carlin. The play was subsequently presented Off Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre in New York City, in May 1991. It was directed by Andre Ernotte.