Five Flights Up and Beyond in the Bronx

The first year that Shirley was on our program, when she received a personalized birthday cake with her name written in icing, she said “Oh my god! There was nobody that ever did that for me. It was a blessing.” Now she looks forward to that cake every year.

Shirley lives in a fifth floor walkup. She was born in Manhattan but attended elementary through Junior High School in the South Bronx, where she lives to this day. After 8^th grade, Shirley stopped attending school and started taking care of people. She says that her calling in life is trying to help people.

In 2002, Shirley’s life was interrupted when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Suddenly, at 46 years old, Shirley found herself needing to stop everything to take care of herself. When she got sick, her doctor said that she needed to eat specific foods and avoid others. Shirley says that before her diagnosis, she had never followed a diet. A friend of hers from church suggested that she contact God’s Love for meals.

Since 2003, Shirley has been receiving medically tailored meals from God’s Love to help her tolerate treatment and maintain strength. Her treatments make her feel “on and off sick, either throwing up or not feeling so good.” On top of that, after a hysterectomy in 2004, she developed asthma and arthritis in her knees. Together these conditions make it particularly difficult for Shirley to leave her apartment. Our weekly deliveries allow Shirley to focus on recovery and avoid unnecessary trips up and down the stairs. Shirley loves the chicken and the mashed potatoes from God’s Love, but most of all she loves knowing that a whole team of staff and 15,000 volunteers are working to make sure that she has healthy delicious food every day.