“Sangha House NOLA has helped me to not have to be in survival mode. The food support has helped me to focus on other things such as caring for home responsibilities, rent, utilities, and the cost to get to and from work. To know that I have support to feed myself and loved ones has helped me to release the grip of a scarcity mindset and habits of unhealthy eating just so that I can nourish myself with what’s cost effective and what’s available in my neighborhood to choose from.
To have the opportunity to share meals with the community has helped to develop trusting relationships and connections that help to nourish a more full self, and to share what I’m moving through and working through, knowing that I have support beyond me trying to make it work.
The difference between going to a food bank is that sometimes there are rigorous processes to see if you qualify based on area and zip code, income, etc., which can become discouraging and often kept me in the cycle of figuring it out for myself or having to choose between food and bills and basic essentials.”