Each month, our aging neighbor Edan has just $30 to spend at the grocery store. Paying for the bus to get there takes another bite out of his budget. “I couldn’t survive on food stamps alone,” he told us, “so I started going to a church food pantry.” Edan had to walk a mile each way. And because he’s severely diabetic, the typical donations he lugged home – potatoes and other cheap starches – were not healthy for him.

That’s when Neighborhood House stepped up. Every two weeks, since the start of the pandemic, we’ve been delivering boxes of free groceries right to Edan’s door. Our program lets him choose the right foods for his diabetes management plan, including lots of fresh produce as well as pricier proteins, like nuts, that are not usually included in pantry offerings.

So far this year, we have regularly provided made-to-order food boxes to 2,000 home-bound seniors.

Obviously, people cannot survive without food. But did you know that person-to-person connections are as vital to our well-being as vegetables? Without contact, people decline fast.

To help seniors stay active and connected, Neighborhood House has provided free online classes and groups to almost 1,000 elders in our community this year.

By the end of January, our goal is to raise $500,000 through our annual Partnership Campaign. To prioritize the specific needs of our seniors, December 3–10 will be Senior Week. All donations to the Campaign during Senior Week will go towards our Aging Services, and an anonymous donor will match all gifts up to $5,000. We envision a future where seniors like Edan have the support and community they need to thrive. I urge you to think about an older adult in your life, be it a parent, grandparent, or other aging loved one. Isn’t this the future you would want for them?

Support Senior Week Now!

I started using the Free Food Market. I learned about more programs that could help us. But the biggest change wasn’t the services themselves.

It was how I was treated. 

For the first time in my entire life, I was met with dignity. 

I wasn’t talked down to. I wasn’t made to feel ashamed for needing help. I wasn’t forced to “prove” I deserved to survive. At Neighborhood House, people spoke to me with genuine respect, something I have so often not been given, simply due to my circumstances. That changed everything. Even now, it still brings tears to my eyes. 

When you’re disabled, when you’re parenting alone, when you’re just trying to get through the day without falling apart…asking for help is hard. Being treated with kindness backed by action? It’s life-changing. 

That kindness empowered me. 
I joined the Head Start Policy Council. 
I became involved in statewide advocacy work. 
And eventually, when someone asked if I would consider joining the Neighborhood House Board, I said yes. 

Being on the board fills a need I’ve carried my whole life: the deep need to give back. There is so little any one person can do alone. But when we connect, when we come together as a community, everything becomes possible. 

People sometimes ask me why services like Neighborhood House still matter. 

My answer is simple: 

Because income inequality is growing. 
Because our systems do not prioritize people in poverty. 
Because without places like Neighborhood House, people really would go hungry. Children would go without resources necessary to thrive. Housing insecure families would be turned out into the streets. 
And that is simply not acceptable.

Until we change the systems that create these conditions in the first place, we need community-based organizations that keep people alive, keep families housed, and treat every neighbor with dignity.

And there’s one more thing I want you to know:

No one chooses this. 

Everyone is doing the best they can. 
Sometimes people just need a little boost.

When you donate or volunteer at Neighborhood House, it is truly life changing. You may never meet every person you help—but please know there are so many of us who feel overwhelmed with gratitude because these services exist.

I am one of them.

So today, as we close out the year, I’m asking you to help more neighbors like me.

Here’s how you can help right now: 

  • Make a gift today — your support goes directly to families who need it most.
  • Start a food dr​ive — our Food Security Program is a lifeline and always needs support. 
  • Share my letter with a friend who believes in a more just and caring community.

Thank you for believing in this work.

Thank you for believing in people like me. 

With gratitude,

Love 
Board Member & Program Participant 
Neighborhood House 

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