From the desk of our executive director
Dear Friends and Neighbors:
I’d like to tell you about an experience I had at the Northampton Survival Center this year which illustrates what the Center means in the lives of the thousands we serve:
Late one Friday afternoon, well after pantry hours were over for the day, a man came to our door. In greeting him and inviting him inside, it was clear he was frustrated with himself for being in the position of needing assistance. With downcast eyes and a gruff manner, he berated himself for coming, saying again and again, “I’ve never asked for help in my life!” He had been subsisting on a diet of rice and tuna for weeks, and had just learned he’d be caring for his 4-year-old daughter for the weekend. He knew he had to take control of the situation and come to us – to provide for her in a way he hadn’t managed to do for himself.
I asked him his daughter’s name and coaxed him toward the pantry counter, offering non-judgmental support of his choice to come to us for help. As I worked with him to build a box of food that would sustain the two of them over the weekend, his demeanor softened and he began to get excited about the prospect of serving his daughter some of her favorite meals. When a dinner of spaghetti, sauce, and corn was supplemented with a loaf of french bread, he exclaimed, “You’re going to make me a hero!”
More meals were planned, including oatmeal and fruit, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and beef stew with cornbread, and his entire persona and outlook warmed. He began standing up straighter and looking me in the eye with awe and gratitude.
When it was time for him to leave, he turned and said to me, “I never knew it would be like this to come here! You’ve given me so much. Now, instead of worrying about food all weekend, I’m going to be playing Candyland with my little girl.”
Please help us by making a generous donation to support the Northampton Survival Center as we nourish and nurture those in our community who find themselves in need of our assistance.
With thanks and warm regards,
Heidi Nortonsmith
Executive Director