Emily’s passion is caregiving, not only as a nurse, but at home every day. As a full- time nursing student caring for her mother, who lived with multiple sclerosis (MS), she often found herself stretching dollars 1to cover everyday needs. Rather than face the difficult choice between paying medical bills and buying groceries, she turned to our Food Shelf Program in Grand Rapids. What she found was so much more than food. “There was such a feeling of community right away,” Emily shares. “With everything that came with my mom’s MS, it was really hard to make ends meet while I was still in nursing school and working to support both of us.”
After her mother’s passing, Emily stepped into a full-time nursing role and began building her own path forward. But like many people just starting out, unexpected challenges still arose. When her furnace broke during a stretch of –30° weather, the support she found through our Food Shelf helped her get through. “Because of the Food Shelf, I didn’t have to choose between replacing the furnace and getting food,” she shares. Because of your support, neighbors like Emily can stay nourished and supported when life’s unexpected challenges arise, so they can keep caring for themselves and others.
