From the time she was a child, Michelle Worsham was a caregiver. When she was just a teenager, she worked with Alzheimer’s patients at a nursing home in her hometown of Cincinnati. Later on in life, she relocated to Atlanta, working at North Fulton Medical Center where she retired, and then went on to Emory Hillandale where she worked on an as needed basis (a PRN is the technical term). She left Hillandale because of COVID, but that hasn’t stopped her from taking care of people.
“I love helping people and I still do it…I’m president of the resident association here at Parish Grove,” she said.
About three years ago, Urban Recipe came to her senior community to start a free food co-op. Not only did Michelle join, but her fellow co-op members elected her to be their vice president.
“It meant a lot to me [to be elected] because I felt like they knew I would do the job,” she reflected.
“Being vice president of the co-op means if the president isn’t there, it’s me who steps up. You remind people of what to do and if someone doesn’t show up, you move people around to make sure all the areas are covered and the bins are cleaned out.”
Michelle is selective about what she eats.
She enjoys high-quality food and says what she gets at Urban Recipe meets the mark.“The food that you get is phenomenal. The tomatoes, bell peppers, potatoes, onions…the fruit and vegetables are really great.”
With the costs of everything rising, Michelle says being a co-op member makes a huge difference for her wallet.
“Being able to get this food from co-op helps a lot, not just for me, but others as well. You may get a small amount of money for food a month being a senior…and if that’s not enough, then I usually use a credit card. But it’s a blessing just to see how much food they do contribute to us. You don’t go hungry. No one should go hungry with what they give out.”
The free food was her initial draw to the co-op, but something else keeps her coming back every two weeks: the connection to other seniors and the interactions they have with one another.
“Urban Recipe has been a godsend to me and other seniors in the community. I love it! I get a kick out of it. I laugh every time I go.”
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