Rex - Faith Over Fear
Rex has been a part of the Lowell community for over 20 years, and recently he found himself facing both financial and personal challenges that he never could’ve expected. In these difficult times, he was able to lean on his neighbors, and FROM, to help him find a path forward. After tallying up his budget every month, Rex is able to pay his bills, but doesn’t quite have enough to make all the ends meet. On top of that, he also lost his vehicle, so saving up to get his own transportation is crucial. When he began looking for help, he learned that he didn’t qualify for many senior assistance programs due to his social security being too high.
One day, his neighbor told him about FROM, and he couldn’t be more appreciative of the help he’s received ever since. Rex routinely utilizes our Rides to and FROM transportation service in order to get to the Food Pantry every two weeks. He picks up necessary food items like meat, milk, fruits, and more.
“I needed help, but I was afraid to ask. I had a friend across the street who told me about the food pantry down the road, and now I am so appreciative of everything FROM’s done to help me out. I thank God every day for everyone at FROM who has helped me.” Rex is looking forward to the day when he has his own vehicle and can come and volunteer at FROM to give back to the place that has given him so much.
Peggy - Accepting Help, Giving Back
“I started using the food pantry on a regular basis, and that has been such a blessing,” Peggy said. “It stretches my food dollar and frees me up to pay other bills because things are really tight, especially these days.”
Peggy, an active volunteer at FROM, has served in nearly every area of the organization over the last 30 years—long before FROM was officially FROM. Although she qualified for FROM programs, she didn’t use them for a long time. It was a conversation several years ago with a fellow volunteer that changed her mind.
“She encouraged me, saying, ‘No, you qualify, so let us help you,’” Peggy said. “There was so much acceptance there.”
Today, the food programs help her do what she needs to do—like keep and maintain her home. Her house, which once belonged to her parents, has become a sanctuary, surrounded by peaceful woods and a river. She maintains a walking path she uses year-round and tends a flower garden filled with perennials.
Her experience volunteering and being involved at FROM over the past three decades, alongside a wide variety of people and learning new skills, has helped her grow personally as well. She has developed her communication skills and feels more confident expressing herself.
“I feel like I’ve had the opportunity to work with good people who have been accepting and willing to help me learn and grow along the way,” she said. “And that has been tremendous.”
Karen - Blessed to Be a Blessing
Karen brings warmth and gratitude wherever she goes, shaped by a life spent caring for others as a hospice nurse, foster parent, and now caregiver to her own aging parents. When her family faced a financial shortfall after her husband's early retirement and her own move to disability, she came to FROM's Food Pantry for the first time, nervous and in tears. A volunteer's kindness stayed with her: "everyone needs help sometimes and God brought you here." That reassurance, and the genuine care she felt each visit, moved her to give back. She signed up to volunteer as a receptionist and hasn't stopped since.
Karen's caregiving heart now shows up everywhere, as a chaplain with the prison system and the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans, through the "No Member Dies Alone" program, in letters to inmates, and in daily care for her parents. She jokes she has just one day at home when she isn't volunteering somewhere. Remembering how hard it was to first ask for help, she now reassures others walking through FROM's doors: "Don't be afraid to come get help. Everyone here will greet you with open arms. There is nothing to be afraid of; we are all family here." For Karen, every act of service is another blessing, and every person at FROM is proof that, as she puts it, "God planted you guys here and He is using you."
Laura - Making Home Safer
Laura Olney, Occupational Therapist (OT), works with home-bound individuals through Mary Free Bed at Home. She often comes to FROM’s medical equipment loan closet to borrow medical equipment for her clients not just because they are unable to leave their homes, but because “lots of people can’t afford the equipment they need,” she says. During her twenty-eight years as an OT, Laura’s goal has been to “help people become independent safer and,” she adds
“FROM helps provide it [independence] with the equipment you have available.”
Because FROM relies on donations, the items available vary, but often includes shower chairs, walkers, wheelchairs, crutches and more. Laura has also been pleased to see her clients donate equipment back to FROM after they are done using It. One of her clients said she donated equipment back because she “wanted to make sure it could help someone else as much as it had helped her family.”
Laura and her clients are so thankful for FROM’s medical equipment loan program.
“The program has made it so people can do things like use the toilet, take a shower and get out of the house again,” she says. “You have an awesome service here.”
Alecia - A Community Bright & Cheerful
Alecia’s earliest memories of FROM were from long ago, visiting Treasures Thrift Store in its earliest days to find needs and wants. In 2012, Alecia was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. With all that comes with a life-altering diagnosis, Alecia found herself in need of some help. She still isn’t sure who requested help for her through the Repair & Restore (formerly Neighbor to Neighbor), a FROM program that provides weatherization and small home repairs, but help was there.
“The next thing I knew I had a whole group of people at my home, putting new floors and repairing a few doors,” Alecia shared. She felt seen and cared for. Her understanding of what FROM could do in a time of need expanded as well.
Along with Repair & Restore and Treasures Thrift Store, Alecia has also taken part in the FROM Christmas Food Basket & Toy Store programs. She loved that she was able to pick out special gifts for her children.
A sense of community blossomed for Alecia. Over the years, she has continued to frequent Treasures Thrift Store. So much so; she finally became a volunteer, serving as a cashier and in the book department.
Today Alecia’s life is full and busy. With her cancer in remission, she fills her time with family, volunteering, and her favorite pastime, reading! She has seven bookshelves of books!
“I’m lucky compared to so many other people out there; I have fantastic kids and a wonderful husband,” she said. “There will always be something on the horizon that would be nice to have, but what I have now is quite lovely.
Alecia complimented the people who make FROM, FROM, saying they are “bright and cheerful.” We think she’s one of them.