a lil' background...

Since November 2012 we have served almost 100 Legacy patients by cutting the red tape associated with the traditional methods of accessing supplemental food income; thanks to our fabulous relationship with The Houston Food Bank and their contract with the State of Texas. Their staff is able to process the application and interview, and when applicable they provide the Lone Star card on the spot; to be uploaded within a few days. Take that red tape and use it elsewhere!!  The traditional (red tape) method would take many months, a whole day at a local HHSC office just waiting to be seen. After possible hours of waiting, you may not even receive an appointment or a follow-up phone interview. To make it even more difficult, you'd have to make sure that you have ALL your paper work, because that will delay the process even further! No to mention the treatment folks receive at their local HHSC offices...Dignity and comapssion are hard to find...

I have invested the last decade of my life to serving my community, and this makes my top 5 list of most exciting projects I have engaged! This is a prime exampe of why I love Legacy...our leadership allows and promotes creative ideas, allowing us to deepening our community impact...This makes us unique and sets our mission apart...That's just what we do here - Legacy REMOVES BARRIERS to care. And quite frankly, you can't be healthy if you are not eating, or eating well, at least. Healthcare and Food security is just a beautiful and essential partnership; more importantly, it is needed for survival.

Enter my background survival story. My mother immigrated from Alajuela, Costa Rica as a young adult. She came to Houston to study English and eventually opthamology...and on her journey...she met the Marlboro man. He was handsome, rugged, and a hearty all-American boy. Needless to say, she followed her heart and wed at age 26. She passed on her opportunity for higher education and went straight to motherhood. The rambling and sexy cowboy? Well, like Zepplin said..."Ramble on!"  So, me and Mama became over night survivors.

Mama went to HCC and became an optician and that's the closest she got to her academic dreams. She was on her own, no family, and lil me. She worked at the optical shop in the Fiesta on Bellaire, she sold Tupperware and Avon, and she made it happen.  I helped her afterschool at the optical shop, (actually mostly slept in the back after a snack and homework). I will never forget the lessons learned during those years we struggled together. One of the primary lessons I took away was that NO MATTER HOW LITTLE YOU HAVE, YOU SHARE WITH THOSE IN NEED, THERE IS ALWAYS SOMEONE WHO MAY NEED IT MORE.

That, in a nutshell, is the story of food in my family. You share what you have and do it with grace and love. It is an absolute smack in the face, if you leave my mother's home without being stuffed! My hispanic roots revolve around food and coffee; it's just the way we spend our "Pura Vida" en Costa Rica, with good natural and healthy food and amidst friends and family.

 There is an image burned upon my memory that symbolizes my mother's amazing grace to others in need. I remember my father coming over to our apartment, (post divorce) and him asking my mother to watch his son, (from another woman) for the day. Jr. was so hungry that he finished half a gallon of our milk!  I was appauled! Food insecutiy was never an issue for me, but I knew Mama worked hard for every dollar.  I wondered how much that gallon cost, and how few people would share their limited resources in such circumstances. I was a vibrant, plump and rosey-cheeked child. My mother took great pride in feeding me freshly blended veggies, juices and her milk. To this day, my Costa Rican familiy and neighbors tell me stories of how clean and well-fed and loved I was. And for this blessing, I will do what I can for other families to have the same opprotunities... Below is my list...and a pic of Delmy, such a lovely Fiesta employee, willing to share with me how she stretches her dollar for food weekly...

My food list for the week:

• Breakfast options- eggs, oatmeals,, corn tortillas, oranges, tomatoes, cilantro, beans
• Lunch and Dinner options- chicken, rice and beans, broccoli, onions, potaoes, and crema Salvadorena
• Total spent at Fiesta was $17.79
• I will only be drinking water for the week