Blessed Abundance

How I was able to feed my family, by the kindness and generosity of an amazing local Food Pantry, the Northampton Survival Center.

The year 2015 was both the most challenging and the most blessed year of my life. It was also the year we went from homelessness to being financially secure. It didn’t happen without many people lending us a hand.

There were so many blessings from so many sources that I’m going to highlight each of them individually. The first resource that helped my family time and again is a local nonprofit organization. This nonprofit is one of the best local organizations. They are the Northampton Survival Center and they help hundreds of households feed their families every month. This pantry is run primarily by volunteers who serve the patrons with dignity and respect.

Image Courtesy of Northampton Survival Center

 

Of the many times I had to go there, I never felt looked down upon, or like a burden. It is a place where I looked forward to going.  We had virtually no income and no way to get the items any household would need. The Survival Center helped us get what we needed.

Patrons at the Center take numbers. They wait to see The Program Director, Sarah Pease, who verifies they live within the area and that they are income eligible. People can come once a month for large grocery shopping and once a week for fresh fruit and vegetables.

After verifying residence and income, patrons are treated to a choice of multiple household staples such as body care, household cleaning items, tissue paper and diapers, depending on availability.  Children often are found browsing the bookshelf that contains books that they are encouraged to take home. There’s also a section of donated clothing where  people can take what they need.

Image Courtesy of Northampton Survival Center

Next  patrons wait for their number to be called where they will be given the choice of tons of fresh fruits and veggies.  The best part is the major grocery shopping. Patrons are matched with a volunteer where they are given the chance to pick multiple items from multiple categories.

This isn’t the kind of pantry where people walk out with just a bag or two of groceries. Depending on household size some may walk out with two grocery carts packed with food. There’s even a gluten free section, organic options and a local dairy donates milk by the truck full.  Local businesses provide fresh bread and sweets to take home.

Image Courtesy of Northampton Survival Center

There’s so many wonderful things that the people over at The Northampton Survival Center do to make a visit there better. Most of their customers are just regular people that have fallen on hard times. They’re average folks, that given the choice would much prefer going to the store and spending cash to buy their groceries. Unfortunately they don’t have that option.

Instead, they swallow their pride, and bow their heads. They ask for help, and if they are lucky they end up at The Survival Center. There was a point in time where we hadn’t been approved for food stamps yet, and we had no income. I went to the pantry, spoke to The Program Director and she looked at me with the kindest face and said “we’re not going to let you go hungry”.

Many months have passed since I had to go to The Northampton Survival Center for help. Our family is financially secure and now we are the people donating to the center. You can donate clothes, food, kids books, money or your time.

Image Courtesy Of The Northampton Survival Center

If you’re a local I hope you consider donating something physical to the center. If you’re not local, CLICK HERE to be taken to a page where you can make a monetary donation to The Northampton Survival Center.

I will always have fond memories of my visits to the center. When my toddler didn’t have any books to read the center provided us with plenty. When I didn’t even have a loaf of bread to feed my family I was given many. I’m not proud of having to go to a food pantry but I am proud that I am able to finally repay their kindness.

 

 

Click HERE to go to part 2