A Neighbor Becomes a Colleague – Brittany’s Story

When Brittany relocated from Florida to the Greater Lafayette area, she arrived without a support network. As a stay-at-home mother navigating an unfamiliar community, she found herself in need of assistance and unsure where to turn. That support came through a meeting with Resource Coordinator Rachel Garcia.

Food Finders’ Resource Coordinators work individually with neighbors to identify and remove barriers to achieving self-sufficiency using a strengths-based approach — connecting people to wrap-around services that include clothing, childcare, transportation, employment, housing, health care, education, and more. While Rachel connected Brittany and her family with the services they needed, she also raised the possibility of Brittany going back to school. “She was like, ‘Mom, you can go back to school,’” Brittany recalled. “And I was like, Wait a minute — I’m too old for that!” But Rachel disagreed, and helped Brittany get in contact with Ivy Tech Community College where she enrolled in a truck driving program and completed it within a month. As Brittany finished her program, Rachel followed up with her regularly to ensure she had everything she needed to stay on track. “She called me every single week,” Brittany said.

As a resource coordinator, Rachel covers several counties throughout Food Finders’ 16-county service area, meeting many people along the way. When she crossed paths with Brittany again at a staff retreat several years later, she recognized her from somewhere, but could not immediately remember the story of how they had previously met. Brittany was now her co-worker. For Brittany, the journey from client to colleague highlights what is possible when people have access to the right resources at the right moment. Reflecting on her journey, Brittany shared, “We all fall. It’s just a matter of getting the assistance that’s available to you to stand back up and proceed forward. It’s something that we have to continue doing — not just myself. It’s something that we have to do as people in general.”

At Food Finders, the work does not end at food assistance. We work to meet our neighbors where they are, connecting them to all the resources they need to move forward. Watch Brittany and Rachel recount their story: