Just last week, I found myself thinking about a young woman I met while serving as CEO at Sister Jose Women’s Center. She was fleeing an abusive husband and staying at the Center’s shelter while searching for a job and a home for her children.

I remembered the joyful day she moved into an apartment and was reunited with her children. She was so excited to begin again.

A Fresh Start with VIVA PIMA! Supplies

Through the VIVA PIMA! Supplies program, she received new household essentials, including sheets, pots and pans, comforters, towels, and more. These items helped her take the first steps toward building a home for her family.

“I’m so grateful to be starting over,” she shared.

Her story stayed with me as a reminder of how much practical support can mean to someone beginning a new chapter. Through our community programs, we help neighbors find the resources they need to move forward.

A Familiar Face at Our Kids Event

Not long after thinking about her, I was working at a VIVA PIMA! Kids event, helping distribute new school clothes to children living below the poverty line.

A woman and her child approached me.

“You probably don’t remember me, but I used to stay at the Shelter,” she said.

It was the same young woman I had been remembering. Now, her son was receiving new school clothes through our Kids program.

She told me she hadn’t thought she would be able to buy him new clothes that year. Seeing him smile as he picked out a new shirt meant so much to her.

She also proudly shared that she was working full-time while raising her children. As a single mother, she still struggled to pay her bills, and she appreciated having help with school clothing for her son.

Why This Work Matters to Me

That encounter confirmed why I am now serving at VIVA PIMA!.

I had seen this mother begin again with support from our Supplies program. Now, I was seeing our Kids program help her family through another moment of need.

Alongside our volunteers, thrift store patrons, and donors, we are working together to make our community a better place. Each person who gives time, donates, or shops with us helps make these moments possible.

Thank you for being part of this work and for supporting families like hers.

If you would like to get involved, you can make a donation, volunteer with us, or shop to support our programs.