Hunger Heroes: Debbie is Keeping Her Mother's Legacy Alive

Vertical Church is an agency partner with Connecticut Foodshare and orders food for many pantries they oversee across the city of New Haven and nearby neighborhoods.

One of those programs is a monthly pop-up food pantry at Atwater Senior Center, where Debbie and other volunteers have been in service to their neighbors since before the pandemic.

As morning activities like coffee and games of dominoes take place, volunteers set up tables of food for the distribution. Eggs, meat, fruits and vegetables, snacks, and pantry staples are displayed for neighbors to choose from when their shopping time begins. The seniors who rely on Atwater Senior Center for support and community are grateful to feel a little financial relief from this free grocery boost.

Debbie shared, “They know me, and they smile…they warm up because they know me, they see my face all the time. They bring it in and we set up the tables when it comes in. We have a little system here that when people come, we ask them what they want. It's like an assembly line when we get started here. We have certain tables that we manage, and we work together. I'm just moving and making sure we have enough on the table, keep replenishing the layout of the food. By the time we're finished, it's time for lunch for them.”

Debbie keeps her mother’s legacy – and her love for Atwater Senior Center – alive by helping her neighbors.

“My mom had just finished her radiation treatments for breast cancer, and my mother was never social. She did go to church, you know, did a little few things at church. She never wanted to go out, very shy. I told her I was bringing her here, I said, Mom, just check it out. You don't have to join. When we left, she had signed up as a member. She learned how to make ceramic jewelry, and paint, too. She was so into it, and she brought all these things home. I was so proud of her. My mother loved it. She came faithfully Monday through Friday, and she became a volunteer passing out the lunches. It brightened her life so much. She’s been gone for 15 years now. When she started coming here, she was in her 80s. She passed away at 89. This place brought her a lot of hope, a lot of joy.”

“I've been living in this community now for 40 years. I love it, you know. When my church mentioned doing a food distribution here, it was in my heart to do it for my mom, and it was right in my neighborhood. I wanted to do something…in my immediate community. My hand went up. I said, I want to do it in memory of my mom.”

In addition to providing help during the pop-up pantry at the senior center, Debbie sorts bread at Vertical Church on Mondays to prepare for the many food distributions across New Haven. Comfortable with sharing her talent and compassion in many ways, Debbie has also been a member of Witnesses to Hunger since the New Haven advocacy program began in 2014. Debbie's not just staying busy, she’s recreating the joy her mom felt for many years in a community that welcomed her with open arms.

She is also helping her own friends and neighbors navigate food insecurity, “I have a friend who I'm very close to. She's like a sister. I get her food now because she's a senior and take it to her. She doesn't come out…because she can't walk. I was grocery shopping for her, but now her son is taking care of her.”

Debbie’s heart and compassion keep her going, “There are so many people who are food insecure. You know, I'm going to keep doing this until I can't do it anymore.”