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Personal Stories
Who do we help? The people that walk through our door hail come from a myriad of backgrounds, races, nationalities, economic standing, and life experience--from scared teenagers to hardened veterans, from immigrant mothers to single dads, from battered wives to laid off husbands--each with a story to tell. Listen . . .
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My name is Isabel. I moved to Louisville from Argentina a few months ago. I came to SLCM with one initial request--my three teenage boys were arriving into the U.S.A. that weekend, and I had NO food in the cupboards. Despite the fact that I was a qualified medical technician in my home country, I was struggling to find work due to my lack of American certification. Wishing to stay close to the medical field, I found a job in the cafeteria of a local hospital and was waiting on my first paycheck. Thankfully, my employers were so impressed with my work and my interest in medicine that they offered to help me start at nursing school! I was so excited to be able to get back on the career path that I love. Because SLCM helped me pay my rent and supplied my groceries, I was able to save up to purchase a used car that I can use for both work and school.
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My name's Mark. I first came to the ministries for an Emergency Food Order (I didn't know that I needed an appointment.) I was so embarrassed to be there! My life had been turned upside down. Just a month before I had had a wife, two cars, a house, and a good, long-term job as maintenance manager for a large downtown hotel. By the time I walked through SLCM's door, the hotel had gone under new management and immediately let go of the old staff, my wife had left me and gotten the house, and I was an the verge of losing the small apartment that I'd found. Over the next couple of weeks, the social workers at the ministries helped me try to rebuild my life. My crisis reach a critical point when I arrived at Southside Drive having spent the night in my car after being evicted. Working the local churches and me, SLCM helped me pay for temporary housing, supported me in finding a new job at an apartment complex (that discounted my rent!,) stocked my new apartment with food, and basically just gave me someone to talk to throughout the turmoil.
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Call me Susie. I walked into South Louisville with two black eyes and bruises on my neck. Yep, I was a sight. "Domestic" violence? What's domestic about it? I finally did it though--I turned him in to the cops. Now, where did that leave me. I'll tell ya--without any income to pay the bills! I've got two kids in the house, and so I was pretty desperate to get the mortgage paid and get food on the table. I called SLCM just at the right time, because they had access to these funds from the government--FIMA or FEMA or something like that--and they were able to pay an entire mortgage payment for me. That was such a huge help. It gave me enough time to find a job and stabilize my situation
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