Client Story: Tara
In early January, a handful of thank you cards arrive at Midtown Assistance Center from 2015 Christmas families. One of these letters bears the unmistakable curvy handwriting of Tara, a MAC client whose son received gifts from one of our donors. Her words run from top to bottom and then begin again at the top when she runs out of space, covering the inside of the card. “Thank you all for all your help, kindness, and patience for me and my son,” she writes. “I could not have gone through this holiday season without your help and support. Thank you, thank you, so much.”
“I couldn’t stop writing,” she says. Tara claims that the gifts her for teenage son, which included a new jacket and pair of sneakers, brightened their Christmas.
Like her handwriting, Tara’s presence and attitude are unmistakable. She greets each staff member with a smile and an air of gratitude. She she brings a rolling cart to carry her bags of food home. While waiting for volunteers to pack her groceries, she thanks them again. “My son loves his new coat and his sneakers so much,” she says, laughing. “He wears them every day. The old ones are in the back of the closet.”
Despite her positivity, Tara also admits that her story is a difficult one. She is a single mother caring for her seventeen-year-old, disabled son. She has juggled maintaining a full time job and bringing her son back and forth to the hospital for years. Like many of our clients, she is a close neighbor to many Atlanta institutions, including Georgia Tech and Coca-Cola. She lives in section eight housing, and for the last couple of years she has had trouble making ends meet.
Tara worked for twenty-five years as a site supervisor for security in a building downtown. Three years ago, new owners bought the building, removed the tenants, and left it empty. “I’ve been looking for work since then,” Tara says. “But I haven’t been able to find anything.”
Her story matches that of many MAC clients. While she has years of experience, circumstances beyond her control left her uncertain as to how she would purchase food. She called MAC for help in November, unsure of where to turn.
“I give MAC 100 thumbs up,” she says. Tara calls the food pantry assistance “awesome.” She’s held this attitude since her first appointment, and she maintains a sense of hope. Her story and job search remain difficult, but MAC’s assistance provides a helping hand while she navigates the new world she’s entered and shapes her own story. “Everyone here is so wonderful,” Tara says before she leaves MAC’s red double doors to head back home. Along with groceries, Midtown Assistance Center, its volunteers, and its donors provide her with a welcoming environment and the knowledge that she is not alone.