In June 2023, my world turned upside down when my husband lost his job. We found ourselves selling nearly everything of value, including one of our cars, just to get by. As a mother of five, I couldn’t bear to watch my family suffer due to circumstances beyond our control.
By God’s grace, my husband eventually found a job, but it barely covered our rent. I worried constantly about where our next meal would come from. With the support of my mom and my husband, I turned to my passion for baking. I poured my heart into it, just to provide the basics for my family. There were nights when I would tell my husband and children that I wasn’t hungry, making sure they had enough to eat while I went without.
I realized that God had given me the gift of baking for a reason—He knew I would need it to support my family during these tough times. I was determined to use that gift to honor Him by helping others, just as He had helped us.
The struggle was relentless. Each week brought new challenges, whether it was not having enough food to cook or lacking the power to cook what we did have. We learned to scale down our expectations and make do with what little we had. I had to swallow my pride and accept help, including food parcels from our church. While they were a blessing, they often didn’t provide complete meals, and it was hard to accept this as our reality.
Yet, in this chaos, I learned invaluable lessons about the struggles others face. This realization ignited the idea for “God’s Pantry.” I understood that many in our community were worse off than we were, lacking even the basics for their families. We had a roof over our heads and an income, however minimal, and I couldn’t just stand by and watch others suffer.
God laid it on my heart to take action. I wanted to create a space where people could come and say, “Please help me.” God’s Pantry would be a place of hope, where individuals could find compassion and understanding without judgment.
At God’s Pantry, I want people to feel safe asking for help. I understand the feeling of losing control and the struggle of relying on others for support. We all want to provide for our families, but sometimes circumstances are beyond our control. My mission is to show that we’re here to help, just as God has always helped us.
I hope to inspire others to see that it’s okay to ask for help and to remind them that everything will be alright because God loves them. Together, we can show compassion and support, giving each other hope and courage to face another day. May God bless you all.
