Michelle Alston was the first college graduate in her family. She became a business analyst, earning a salary that allowed her to take care of herself and help her relatives. Then she lost her job.
“I’ve given to charity my whole life and always been in a place where I can give to charity, this is the first time where I’ve actually needed charity myself. So it’s very humbling,” she said.
She did an online search for food assistance, found Urban Recipe and was immediately intrigued.
Urban Recipe runs member-led Food Co-ops across Atlanta. Every two weeks, members meet to sort and share fresh produce, pantry staples and frozen food. Every member plays a role, from greeting neighbors to breaking down boxes.
“I thought Urban Recipe was a good fit for me because it was more than just a one-time pick up…I was going to be able to have food for the foreseeable future. And also it was a community-based charity. I was able to not only take, but I was going to be able to give back.”
Michelle offers this advice to anyone who has lost their job and is hesitant to seek out help:
“Don’t be prideful. Urban Recipe is very welcoming, very helpful, very kind. A lot of people go in and they expect to be judged. They expect to be pointed at, laughed at, and that’s not the case. Because you’ve got to understand that other people are in your shoes. You would no sooner walk into an Urban Recipe center and judge them.”
Now working as a grocery store cashier, she often tells her customers about Urban Recipe.
“I’ll drop the name and I’ve even dropped off flyers at my grocery store to spread the word to get people some help because groceries are expensive.”
Watch Michelle’s testimony in our mission video.
