EMPTY STOCKING: Help from pantry comes with soothing care

Noodles or rice.

It’s a simple choice that many would take for granted.

But to Cynthia, a single mom down on her luck, the fact that a food pantry worker cared about her preferences made her feel like a queen.

“It’s like you get to do your own shopping,” said Cynthia of Northern Churches Care, one of 15 area charities receiving grants from The Gazette/El Pomar Empty Stocking Fund. “They ask, ‘Would you like noodles or rice? Would you like soup or ramen?’

“Do you know how well that makes somebody feel who is down on their luck?”

Only Cynthia’s first name is being used to protect her privacy.

Over the past five years, Northern Churches Care has assisted Cynthia with food, rent and utilities as she’s battled poverty due to the state taking a cut of her paychecks to cover back taxes and subsequent unemployment.

The organization routinely eases her mind and fills her stomach while she waits in line for help — gestures that initially shocked her.

“Sometimes it’s soup; sometimes it’s lasagna and salad, but you always get a dessert,” Cynthia said. “It’s a full meal. There’s a guy that comes and dresses as a clown. He has a bird that performs a trick.

“When you’re totally devastated, it’s nice to be able to get a little bit of comfort and soothing.”

Once Cynthia was offered an oil change while she waited.

“I wasn’t even thinking about an oil change,” Cynthia said. “Did I need it? Yes. But all I was concentrating on was, ‘How do I pay my rent?’”

Cynthia continues to visit Northern Churches Care when she needs help and occasionally brings friends who need help too.

“When you make bad choices and things go wrong, it seems like society looks down on you,” Cynthia said. “They make you feel so ashamed, so worthless.

“With Northern Churches, there’s no condemnation. I don’t know any other place I can go to and feel that much love.”