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HOW LONG HAVE YOU LIVED IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD?
8 years.
HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD?
For me, it was seeing the importance of our church being located in the 7th Ward community. We felt it was our need to make sure our community didn’t have any food disparities. We also wanted to make sure we were actively addressing the social disparities and any other community needs. We felt we were compelled to be a strong pillar in the neighborhood.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD?
I love the history, unity, diversity, resilience, and moral standings of the community.
WHAT SUCCESSES HAVE YOU HAD IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD?
We have fed thousands of residents hot meals, became an incubator for after school programs. We have distributed thousands of dollars worth of gas cards via community giveaways and developed rental programs to financially support those in need. We have also partnered with the 7th Ward Neighborhood Assocation to do back-to-school giveaways. We were able to open our church to house AA programs.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD?
We are working on grocery giveaways and COVID-19 vaccinations. We aim to provide those two resources for 500 citizens of New Orleans every week.
ANY WORDS OF ADVICE FOR OTHER NEIGHBORHOOD LEADERS AND CHANGE MAKERS?
To quote James Baldwin, “Nothing everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” Not until we face what is happening in our community can we make any real change.