Friday, May 10, 2013
Meet Our Friend Kathy
Kathy was a single mom doing what she could to raise her family. One day she received that terrible phone call that no parent wants to hear, "Your son has been shot". At the age of 37 her life change forever (her son was 20). She sat at his bed side for 5 weeks while he was in a coma. Friends and family brought her clothes and food, because she never wanted to leave his side. One day she prayed to the Lord " Father if you give him back to me, I will stay by his side and take care of him." They next day a miracle happened.....he woke up. He is paralyzed from the waste down and would need daily care. She stuck to her promise and quit her job and took care of him. She never complained that her life was different or the hardship she had to endure. She stuck to her promise and cared for him for the past 43 years. She has needed places like the Care Center for most of her life. She brightens up the room when she enters in now at the beautiful age of 80. She still cares for her son who is now 63. What an amazing Godly woman and example to us all. When you are having a bad day, or things are not going as you wish, please remember Kathy and her son. Say a little prayer for this family as they struggle to figure out life while caring for each other now.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Our friend Sally
We will call her Sally. I remember when she told me that she never thought she would be on this side of the Pantry. Sally and her family served in their churches pantry many times before moving to Indiana, and now she found herself on the receiving line.
Sally's husband was relocated to Indiana through his employment. Planning ahead they came to Indiana to visit and find their new home a month before the relocation. After finding one, they packed up and the movers brought them to Indiana to start their new life. Their old home was still on the market and they had a buyer lined up and the closing was set. Then life started to change for them. Things fell through with the buyer, so they started back at square one with their old home. Now they own two homes, it will be a struggle until they sell it-but they can make it. He started his job on Monday and as he was getting settled in something happened. The company announced that a downsizing was about to take place, and soon he found himself on the other side of the downsizing. Now they are in a new state far away from friends and family, own two homes and no job. How could this have happened? Soon Sally found herself in need of food, so she went to a pantry in the area. After receiving the box of food she went out to her car to see what was inside. She pulled items out that her family would be able to eat, it wasn't that she was picky two of her children have allergies to food. She walked back into the pantry to give back the food they were not able to eat because she didn't want it to go to waste. The pantry volunteers asked why she was returning the food and she explained about the food allergies. They explained to her that Grace just opened their food pantry and it was a Choice Pantry where she could pick and choose the items off of the grocery shelves. So Sally showed up and became a friend immediately.
About a month later Sally came in and told us the great news, her husband got a new job!!! She wanted to know if she could still come to the pantry for a few more weeks until his first paycheck came in. We told her that she could come as long as she needed to and even suggested to keep coming until they received a few months of paychecks to catch up on some of the debt they incurred.
Its a joy to see Sally about once a month. She has asked about volunteering and asked about when the service times are at Grace. I cant wait to see how Sally's story unfolds as her family walks into this new chapter of their life.
Sally's husband was relocated to Indiana through his employment. Planning ahead they came to Indiana to visit and find their new home a month before the relocation. After finding one, they packed up and the movers brought them to Indiana to start their new life. Their old home was still on the market and they had a buyer lined up and the closing was set. Then life started to change for them. Things fell through with the buyer, so they started back at square one with their old home. Now they own two homes, it will be a struggle until they sell it-but they can make it. He started his job on Monday and as he was getting settled in something happened. The company announced that a downsizing was about to take place, and soon he found himself on the other side of the downsizing. Now they are in a new state far away from friends and family, own two homes and no job. How could this have happened? Soon Sally found herself in need of food, so she went to a pantry in the area. After receiving the box of food she went out to her car to see what was inside. She pulled items out that her family would be able to eat, it wasn't that she was picky two of her children have allergies to food. She walked back into the pantry to give back the food they were not able to eat because she didn't want it to go to waste. The pantry volunteers asked why she was returning the food and she explained about the food allergies. They explained to her that Grace just opened their food pantry and it was a Choice Pantry where she could pick and choose the items off of the grocery shelves. So Sally showed up and became a friend immediately.
About a month later Sally came in and told us the great news, her husband got a new job!!! She wanted to know if she could still come to the pantry for a few more weeks until his first paycheck came in. We told her that she could come as long as she needed to and even suggested to keep coming until they received a few months of paychecks to catch up on some of the debt they incurred.
Its a joy to see Sally about once a month. She has asked about volunteering and asked about when the service times are at Grace. I cant wait to see how Sally's story unfolds as her family walks into this new chapter of their life.
One Step Away
The Grace Care Center has been open for seven months and I am still blown away each day by the people I meet.
We call the people who come to the Care Center-friends! So you know our friends, they live among us, work at places we visit and shop at the same stores we do. I would love for you to get to know the people who stand in line in the freezing cold as they wait to come into the care center. They are just like you and me. We all are just one step away from being in their shoes. You might think it will never happen to you, but please read their stories carefully-many of them hand one thing happen to them which sent them down the road of life they are on. One Step Away-you and I both, that's it. How would you want to be treated if you were in their place in line? Many people come in and ask if we can let them in early because its cold outside. I think it makes them feel like they are helping by asking. Can I suggest if that happens instead of walking by and asking if they can come in, stand with them and talk with them. They know its cold outside and they chose to come early to stand in line, what they didn't know that someone would care enough to stop and talk to them.
We are open 6:00-8:00 on Monday and Tues nights and 10-12 on Wed mornings. The line outside starts about an hour before we open. Come join us in line or maybe come serve them inside (shift starts 30 min before we open, sign-up online), WARNING-if you do just know your life will not be the same!!
So please come back to this site often and get to know our wonderful friends, they are your neighbors!!
(We will change their names to help continue to give them their dignity. The pictures used will also not be our friends.)
We call the people who come to the Care Center-friends! So you know our friends, they live among us, work at places we visit and shop at the same stores we do. I would love for you to get to know the people who stand in line in the freezing cold as they wait to come into the care center. They are just like you and me. We all are just one step away from being in their shoes. You might think it will never happen to you, but please read their stories carefully-many of them hand one thing happen to them which sent them down the road of life they are on. One Step Away-you and I both, that's it. How would you want to be treated if you were in their place in line? Many people come in and ask if we can let them in early because its cold outside. I think it makes them feel like they are helping by asking. Can I suggest if that happens instead of walking by and asking if they can come in, stand with them and talk with them. They know its cold outside and they chose to come early to stand in line, what they didn't know that someone would care enough to stop and talk to them.
We are open 6:00-8:00 on Monday and Tues nights and 10-12 on Wed mornings. The line outside starts about an hour before we open. Come join us in line or maybe come serve them inside (shift starts 30 min before we open, sign-up online), WARNING-if you do just know your life will not be the same!!
So please come back to this site often and get to know our wonderful friends, they are your neighbors!!
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