An elderly woman came in and sat down in the reception area. She asked us to help her because she was depressed and hungry. We loaded her up with food and gave her some information about other local resources. When she was leaving she said that she didn’t feel depressed anymore because she had food.
A homeless man in his 30s comes in weekly to grab food items. He is usually very reserved and doesn’t interact much with us. Last week he saw some volunteers delivering produce and frozen items. He walked outside and offered to help them carry the items. It was a huge step for him. After he brought the items in, another client offered to help put the items away. They chatted while they worked, two people helping us because we have helped them.
A mom was visiting the pantry with her son. As they walked through, the boy yelled, “Mom, look in the freezer! They have good stuff here!”
A young woman thanked a staff member after receiving food and personal care items. She said, “Thank you for making me feel accepted and normal. I feel bad enough asking for help, but you actually made me feel better when I came in.”
