Impact Stories
More than 30 years have passed since Christina moved out of LYDIA's Residential Center. But the experiences she had there continue to touch her life in powerful ways. Many of Christina's childhood memories are of chaos and violence. Her father, a mentally ill alcoholic, physically abused her, her siblings and especially her mother. "My dad treated us like property-he'd drag us out of bed at 2 a.m. and beat us for some perceived infraction," she says. "Normal to us was hiding from him and not having food in the house. My mom didn't protect us, and was sometimes abusive herself. We had no structure or stability in our lives."
In moments of clarity, Christina's parents knew they needed help. When Christina was just four years old, her father opened up a phone book, found LYDIA under "child services," and dropped off all four children the next day.
At LYDIA, for the first time in her life, Christina felt safe and cared for. "My house mom and the other LYDIA staff were gentle and kind," she says. "We did normal things, like go to school and do chores. And I remember volunteers coming by with gifts and clothing. Sometimes, we'd even go to their house to do typical kid stuff, like play board games and eat Doritos! Those experiences helped me to see that 'wow, I do matter'! It made all the difference in the world."
When Christina was nine, she and her siblings left LYDIA and were placed in foster homes. Today, Christina and her husband of 23 years have two daughters. Last fall, she and one of her brothers visited LYDIA, and she was amazed to feel that she was coming home.
"God used LYDIA to give me a foundation for my life, and I just want to thank all the staff and volunteers there who loved and cared for me," Christina says. "I don't know what I would have done without them."
Story Source: http://www.lydiahome.org/10086/article/article_id/405427/Former-LYDIA-resident-tells-her-story Picture top left: Christina and her siblings at the time they lived at LYDIA. Picture bottom right: Christina now.)
Curbing Hunger For Children in Chicago The Greater Chicago Food Depository and Community Shares of Illinois member group Community Organizing and Family Issues (COFI) have teamed up to help children in several Chicago neighborhoods and suburbs with free lunches this summer. Through August, the Depository’s green Lunch Bus services 21 sites in more than 10 neighborhoods such a Logan Square, Belmont-Cragin, Austin, Humbolt Park, West Garfield, South Lawndale, Pilsen, McKinley Park, Brighton Park, West Lawn, West Englewood as well as several suburbs. Program organizers at GCFD knew they could feed hundreds more kids than were showing up at the stops. Awareness of the program was lacking. They needed to get the word out that this free service was available.
Enter COFI. COFI volunteer advocates canvassed high-need neighborhoods in order to fill the information gap. They handed out fliers with information about the program and knocked on thousands of doors to help spread the word. One volunteer, 19 year-old Eboni Watson said she understands the struggle. Growing up Eboni struggled with homelessness and food insecurity. Food insecurity is defined as not knowing where your next meal will come from. “I know that one small thing can help change the economic situation for a person,” Eboni said. “I’m happy to be able to help.”
Despite the lack of awareness, the program was reaching about 1,000 children a day. Now that more families know about the scheduled stops in their neighborhoods the number of children and families taking advantage of the program is certain to rise. The meals of sandwich, milk, and fruit are prepared by Chicago’s Community Kitchens, the food service job training program of the Food Depository, and the buses are driven by volunteers. Humbolt Park resident and mother of four Willanda Vaughn said, “They took a burden off me with this lunch. It’s very helpful—my kids look forward to coming every day.”
To learn about Community Organizing and Family Issues and how to organize to address issues in your community visit its website.
To learn more about the Greater Chicago Food Depository and Chicago’s Community Kitchens visit GCFD's site.
Story and photo source: DNAinfo Chicago ” Food Depository 'Lunch Bus' Raises Awareness of Summer Food Insecurity,” July 28, 2014 8:41am.