“Do you have a minute?” Shirley asked after receiving a brown bag lunch delivered to her door.
After a pause, she continued, “I am almost out of food. Do you want to come in to see my pantry and refrigerator so I can show you?”
We graciously declined her offer. She smiled in understanding and continued, “I am almost out. I have some soda, some water, and a half of can of Pringles left. That’s it.”
Shirley opened the bag she had just received. She looked inside and found a sandwich and bowl of soup.
“Thank you so much,” she said. “This will get me through the next two days. The sandwich will get me through today, and the soup I will save for tomorrow.”
I stood next to her door and had to take a deep breath. I thought that the lunches we were delivering, thanks to a generous grant from SoCalGas, were a nice gift for our senior residents during this tough time. But to Shirley, this was more than just another hot meal — it literally was the much-needed sustenance she needed to survive. And in that moment, I knew that Shirley represented so many of our senior residents.
After the visit, our service coordinators and the community manager at Dumosa Village followed-up with Shirley and fortunately were able to provide Shirley with the food and essential items she needed by the end of the day.
Shirley’s comment was a brief moment in time, in the weeks of distributing meals and other essential items to grateful families and seniors across more than 70 + properties in Southern California and Texas. It reminded me that our efforts at Hope through Housing are not only needed, but critical. We have many vulnerable senior residents with underlying health conditions who are afraid to leave their apartments – for good reason. Some have family to assist, but many do not.
And that’s where Hope through Housing steps in, we are that safety net. We are on the front lines making sure that our residents are safe, have their basic needs met, and remain physically and mentally healthy during this challenging time.
It is an honor to do this work and I am in awe of my team. Each day, they offer residents support with compassion, courage, and a smile on mask-covered faces.
Thank you for partnering with us and helping us to make a real difference to thousands of children, families, and seniors.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Greg Bradbard
Greg Bradbard, President of the Hope through Housing Foundation, has more than 20 years of experience as a nonprofit leader in Southern California. Looking for a powerful, engaging speaker who has a passion for transforming the lives of children, families, and seniors in our region through impactful programs and services? Greg is a top speaker on:
- Reducing Poverty One Family at a Time
- Delivering Quality Resident Services within Affordable Housing
- Housing as a Platform for Resident Transformation
- The Silver Tsunami – Preparing for the Aging of America
- Nonprofit Management & State of the Nonprofit Sector
- How Businesses, Churches, and Community Groups can Partner with Nonprofits & Change Lives
For more information, please contact jvanbalen@nationalcore.org.