Rows of little shelves are jam packed with treasures from food and drink, to household and hygiene products. There’s even refrigerator and freezer space with fresh meat and produce. It’s all found at a Harvesters pantry for residents of Amethyst Place in Kansas City, Mo.
“The women love our pantry. It’s a convenient thing for them to be able to go to, to supplement any kind of food stamps that they may be getting or but it would not be possible without Harvesters. I just love being able to provide the ladies with what they need to feed their children,” said Laurie Evans, Amethyst Place donation coordinator.
There’s up to a year-long waiting list to get into Amethyst Place. Women get a fully furnished apartment, and access to a wide range of services to get their lives on track.
Cheyenne Lewis landed at Amethyst after going to jail and losing custody of her daughter.
“For the first time in my life, I felt like maybe it wasn’t too late, that it like I didn’t have to give up on my dreams and stuff,” Lewis said.
Long-term recovery can’t be successful without good nutrition. Cheyenne, and the 100-plus residents of Amethyst Place are thankful Harvesters is there to help.
“If it weren’t for any pantries, I might not even be alive right now, honestly,” said Lewis.
Now Cheyenne’s working full-time, so her food stamp benefits have been slashed to just $75 a month. With two kids now, the food provided through Harvesters is an important part of building her family’s stability.
“I want to thank everybody who helps out in any way possible. And I know that I may not even have a lot. But anything that you can give is always helpful, you know?” Cheyenne said.
Laurie Evans is a woman in long-term recovery herself, and she knows the sisterhood and wrap-around support women get at Amethyst Place is life-changing
“Amethyst helps these ladies through supporting each other, get to the next level and just try to become productive members of society. Just to see them grow and change and get calm in their life and have support and then go on to support others, how many women on this campus that they’re doing it, that they’re breaking the cycle and they’re trying to raise their kids completely different than the way they were raised. And that’s what we’re here for. So this pantry is just a little piece of that pie,” Evans said.