Lauren had nothing. She was fleeing domestic violence and heard Solutions for Change could be a great place to start fresh. She walked up to the front desk with tears in her eyes, feeling overwhelmed and scared, but knew she needed to get out and make a change. Lauren was placed on the waiting list and called everyday to check if a spot had opened up. On September 3, 2019 (her daughter’s 4th birthday), the answer was finally yes, giving Lauren the breath of fresh air she needed.
“Everyone at Solutions was warm, and welcomed me with open arms. I felt comfortable right away,” Lauren said.
Lauren completed her Employee Related Training, mostly at Solutions Farms, and then started Job Search. During this time, she landed a job at Bath and Body Works, where she still works today. She moved into permanent housing in Oceanside, and even bought her own car…the first big thing she has ever owned!
Being the start of November, Lauren began to reminisce on her first Thanksgiving at Solutions for Change. She was working at the farm all day, and once she was dropped back off at main campus, she was instructed to head to the kitchen for a special surprise. Community members had donated a “Thanksgiving in a Box” for each family – decorated boxes full of everything you could possibly need for Thanksgiving, including handwritten cards and cute drawings of turkeys. “I didn’t have to ask for it, or go shopping – this gesture made our Thanksgiving feel so homey. I wasn’t sure I could provide a wholesome Thanksgiving meal for my kids, but now I had everything I needed to cook for them. My kids had recently joined me in the program so this was our first Thanksgiving all together and away from danger,” Lauren shared.
This year, DRI put together 45 of our “Thanksgiving in a box” kits, equipping our families with everything they need for a home cooked Thanksgiving meal. We are so grateful for our generous supporters and friends committed to crushing The Churn of generational poverty, family homelessness, and dependency. And we are thankful for our Overcomers, who are helping rewrite even more families’ stories, empowering them to build promising futures for themselves and their children.
