Getting Stronger Every Day

Bonnie is a Byrd Barr Place Client

Bonnie was living in her car when AARP’s Senior Community Service Employment Program placed her to work at the Byrd Barr Place food bank. There she found much more than a job.

“A smile, a kind word goes a long way, and you get that here in this food bank,” says Bonnie. This is a place for anyone to “turn their life around, and experience a total change in attitude,” she says.

For Bonnie, what she needed most were calm, familiar surroundings and a network of support. With the help of her son—“my hero!”, she calls him—and Byrd Barr Place’s food bank coordinators and community connector, Bonnie applied for affordable housing and updated her resume. She now has a brand-new apartment and hopes to continue to work in service to others after she completes the AARP program.

Bonnie says she feels grateful and brave. “Because I work here,” she says, “I believe I am getting stronger every day. I’m building confidence and a sense of security in myself.”