You gave Juan more than a bag of groceries. . . You gave him community
Ten years ago, Juan stepped through the Mission’s doors. Not for shelter. Not for food.
Not for any services at all.
In opening the door for someone else to find help at the Mission, he opened the door for himself.
Juan used to be a taxi driver in DC. “I picked up a lady, and she came here. That’s how it started,” he says. “God works in many different ways.”
When he dropped the woman off at the Mission’s doors, Juan came inside to help her translate. He had no idea one act of kindness would lead him to community and new hope.
“I just came to translate. It’s been nothing but a blessing.”
Juan and his wife are retired. They’re thankful to have never fallen into homelessness, but living on a fixed income makes poverty feel a little too close for comfort. “Especially for the elderly, or people with disabilities, the Mission is a blessing,” says Juan. “Because sometimes, you have to go and find another job.
“Sometimes, the amount of money you live off of is not enough. When you have a house, when you have a car payment, when you have grandkids, the extra help makes a difference.”
Juan and his wife have been coming regularly to the Comprehensive Family Resource Center (CFRC). They pick up bags full of groceries, including oranges, chicken, vegetables, pastries and canned goods. Without the Mission’s help, they’d be unable to make ends meet.
But what keeps them coming back is not just the food support. It’s the fellowship.
“It’s given us the opportunity to meet different people,” says Juan. “There’s a community here. We
celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. We pray together. Everybody has a wonderful personality. There’s no discrimination of age.”
Because you give, Juan and his wife receive the physical, emotional and spiritual support they need to thrive. From free health checks to senior breakfasts to a clothing closet, you’ve given them a sense of dignity that’s often missing for people living on limited incomes.
“What we receive here is helping not just us, but our grandkids in the family,” says Juan. “Without the CFRC, I wouldn’t be able to support my house. Every little bit that we receive is helping us economically, which gives us the chance to give a hand to the younger generation. From the time that I came here to right now, it’s been a blessing.”