The patron whose story follows asked to remain anonymous, so for purposes of the story, her name has been changed to Chelsea.
It is said that you can’t take care of someone else until you can take care of yourself. That’s a lesson Chelsea learned the hard way.
“My mom got sick with Alzheimer’s and had to be cared for, so I was staying with her. She kept getting worse, so I went to stay with one of my cousins, but there was some confusion between us and she kicked me out,” Chelsea said. “That was when I ended up at a shelter and got treatment for drugs.”
Now Chelsea is in the process of putting her life back together. She has started attending Church of the Reconciler and is doing much better.
“I stay clean. I do drug tests regularly. And I finally got my voucher to get a place in public housing. I’m just waiting on the keys right now,” Chelsea said happily.
Chelsea first found GBM while in the process of going through shelters and rehab. She came to GBM for clothes assistance and to attend sobriety meetings.
“They gave us chips for being clean 30 days, 6 months, and so on. But those are old because I’ve been clean for three years this past May!” exclaimed Chelsea, her smile widening.
Chelsea is thankful for the help, support, and spiritual uplifting she’s been given through GBM. “Mrs. Sarah is real down to earth and a beautiful person. She don’t feel sorry for you and just tells you like it is. The GBM gives you what you need, not what you want,” Chelsea said.
If you’d like to make a donation to GBM’s food pantry for people like Chelsea, click here to make a monetary donation online, or you can drop food off at the GBM’s location, 2304 12th Avenue North Birmingham, AL 35234, Monday through Friday between 8:30am and 4:30pm. All donations are tax deductible.
