Meet a Navigation Client

Navigating for Vital Resources

Our Navigator, Shirley

Two weeks ago, we told you a little about our Navigation Services – an additional service we offer to  families and seniors to get them connected with additional resources like SNAP benefits, utility assistance, home repairs, and more. Typically, our Navigator, Shirley, serves over 400 clients a month, at least 40 on a regular basis. Some of the most consistent requests, she says, are for air conditioners and refrigerators, as well as assistance with repairing homes. Shirley has developed relationships with many of our seniors, often giving a friendly call just to check in on them and see how they are doing.

Meet Ms. McHenry

One of those clients is Ms. McHenry. Ms. McHenry is 81 years old and lives alone. She is registered in our home delivery program and receives a monthly distribution of food. She learned about Target Hunger several years ago when the main office was on Jensen and has considered it a helpful resource in the years since. “Target Hunger has been a blessing. I don’t have the money to get some of the food I need, and Target Hunger has been helpful for years.” Shirley checks in on Ms. McHenry to let her know when to expect her food deliveries. At the height of the pandemic, she consistently checked in to make sure Ms. McHenry had the necessary protection for COVID safety – gloves and masks in case she needed to venture from home. In addition, Shirley has assisted Ms. McHenry by connecting her with home repair resources.

Beyond physical assistance, Shirley and Ms. McHenry have formed an endearing friendship. They speak to each other at least every 2 weeks, and if Ms. McHenry hasn’t heard from Shirley, she is not hesitant to call: “I’ll call her if I haven’t heard from her. She’s always open to talk.” Shirley adores her conversations with Ms. McHenry, and the feeling is mutual.

Ms. McHenry says:

“Ms. Shirley is the most wonderful lady that I have ever wanted to meet. I talk to her on the phone. When she first called, when I first started talking to her, seems like God sent her to me. I enjoyed talking to her the first time I talked to her. I call her on a regular basic. I’d rather talk to Shirley than some of my own relatives and church people. She is a lady that can help people when they have problems. Sometimes it’s not about giving, sometimes it’s about a kind word and a call in the morning. She has the most beautiful personality. She always has time for you. If everyone would be like Ms. Shirley, everybody would be happy.”

You can see a Navigator like Shirley not only helps people find the help they need, but can also brighten someone’s day. Supporting Target Hunger, makes a direct impact on the lives of the community we serve and seniors like Ms. McHenry.

Pantry Box Recipe Challenge

Putting Together Pantry Boxes

Each month, clients in our Pantry Program receive a distribution of nutritious groceries. These boxes include fresh produce, dairy, protein, and shelf-stable products. We provide a range of grocery items that will last for multiple days over the course of the month. Currently, our Pantry Program clients receive these distributions straight to their door!

As we open our regular Pantry programming, clients will also be able to schedule an appointment to pick- up a box – selecting from three menu options for the month. Before the pandemic, most of our pantries were set-up as “choice pantries” or like a small grocery store, which meant that families shopped for their food. We hope to get back to that set-up soon as we begin to resume more normal operations.

This week, we wanted to share a sample menu with you, with a challenge! Using the menu below, we would like to see what recipes you can put together. Are you up for the challenge??

Menu for July

Carrots

White Onions

Broccoli

Tomatoes

Canned Chickpeas

Cabbage

Red Potatoes

2 Gallons of Milk

2 Boxes Crisp Rice Cereal

Canned Green Peas

Grapefruit Juice

Pre-made Homestyle Chili Packs

Pancake Mix

Canned Fruit

Canned Tuna

Tag us in your recipes on social media and yours may be selected to go into the box as a meal inspiration!

Navigating Hunger & Its Causes

Navigation Services

As an organization, our mission is to alleviate hunger and its root causes. Hunger is often the symptom of a larger issue, much like a cough is a symptom of a cold. While you want to treat the cough, you ultimately want to eliminate the cold. Alleviating the causes of hunger – namely poverty, eliminates the cold. Much of the work we do is dedicated to providing nourishing food to anyone who needs it, and sometimes that is all they need. However, we also want to assist our clients in other areas of their lives by providing resources that fight the causes of hunger.

This is where our Navigation Services come in. Our Navigation Services staff serve as a liaison between clients and community resources. Often the resource is new to the client, and these individuals may have been unaware of its availability or even knew of its existence. Our Program staff are on the frontlines of hunger every day and are the caring individuals that work directly with food insecure individuals to guide them on a path to increased self-sufficiency. All Program staff are working to earn their Community Health Worker designation, giving them the skills to provide better social service navigation services to our community. Often, our staff reside in northeast Houston, so they have a close understanding of the community being served. Using a people-centered approach, they build trusting relationships.

What Does this Mean for our Clients?

Providing information and assistance with other services allows us to provide a wholistic, individualized approach to aiding our clients. When we can help a family enroll a child in the Children’s Health Insurance Program, for example, we can help parents reduce the cost of medical bills, freeing up funds for other necessities including food. Suddenly, that family can build an emergency fund or save for a first and last month’s deposit on an apartment so they can move out of a relative’s home. The more clients we can connect with through Navigation Services, the more we can do to stabilize their health, finances, and lives. This is what it means to treat the root causes of hunger. Food is a steppingstone for making a tremendous difference in someone’s life, and you can help. You can make a donation to provide a box of nutritious food to someone enrolled in our pantry program, and give them the lift they need.