 Sherita Evans is 28 years old, and a single mother of an 8 year-old boy, who is the love of her life. Sherita says: “I initially found out about Bread for the City about three years ago. I came seeking legal services because the owners of my apartment building refused to make repairs. “They were trying to get tenants to move out of the area so that they could turn the building into expensive condos, and they didn’t even want to pay any moving expenses.” [Read the Washington Post article on Sherita's building here.]
Sherita came to Bread for the City and met with a case manager for an intake interview. Any District resident, regardless of income, may speak with a case manager during our walk-in hours, which are held five days a week. Through the in-take process, we assess clients’ needs and provide information and referrals to help link individuals with appropriate services. “Bread for the City put me in touch with Housing Counseling Services, which I wouldn’t have heard of otherwise,” Sherita says. “Two years later, after a lot of struggle, we’ve formed a tenant association and I now own my apartment.” Once she’d received her referral, Sherita didn’t think she would need Bread for the City any more. But then Sherita lost her job when a broken ankle kept her from working. Sherita had only been at her job for three months, so she didn’t qualify for benefits under the Family and Medical Leave Act. Unable to work, Sherita was forced to apply for TANF benefits (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families): “It was not something I was looking forward to going through, but I had to do it for my son.” While receiving TANF, Sherita started volunteering with Bread for the City so she could gain new job skills. Sherita says: “I immediately wanted to work with social services, because they have the most interaction with the clients. They’re the ones who learn the stories and are the faces that people see when they walk in.” Sherita quickly determined that she wanted a job at Bread for the City. For six months, she volunteered from 9 am to 3 pm Monday through Friday. She helped not only with BFC’s social services, but also in the food and clothing programs. Sherita says: “Everyone was a team member; everyone was very sweet and very receptive to me. There was no guarantee that I would be employed here. But I did it because that’s what my heart told me to do.” Because of Sherita’s obvious dedication and her ability to pick up new skills, Lynda Brown, BFC’s southeast center director, enthusiastically offered her a full-time position when it became available. Sherita was officially hired as an Intake Coordinator on April 21, 2008. Sherita has done a great job transitioning into her new role. “I like to say that I’m the ‘Director of First Impressions’ instead of just the Intake Coordinator,” Sherita laughs. “At Bread for the City it’s fine to wear jeans and t-shirts every day… but I choose to wear a dress and heels because when I’m the first person you see and you’re coming to me saying: ‘I need food, will you help me?’ I want you to feel like this is a professional atmosphere.” Every month, 10,000 people come to Bread for the City’s centers in Northwest and Southeast DC. What begins with a referral and a few simple conversations can lead to more intensive case management, where goals are established and individuals work one-on-one with a case manager to address such issues as unemployment, substance abuse, mental or physical health challenges, or a housing crisis. “On a typical day we see a lot of people who are frantic,” says Sherita. They’re at their wit’s end. They’re hungry, or about to get evicted. They need childcare, or medical insurance. A huge issue they have is food. People are trying to pay bills, stay afloat, and food is the number one thing they’ll sacrifice, unfortunately.” “We have services for pregnant women, we have services for elderly women and men, we have services for the extremely low income… But what about that person who has simply just fallen on hard times?” asks Sherita. “We fill that niche a little bit, and I like that. Because I am the average woman, and I’ve needed that niche filled for me.” Sherita loves working with Bread for the City clients, and she also appreciates that BFC is a family-oriented organization. "I can’t tell you how important that is," says Sherita. "My son is able to come here -- he goes right in the food pantry and Mr. Ted [Ted Pringle, Food & Clothing Director] lets him help stack the shelves. I teach my son every day that you get everything you get because you earn it. Here he can see that there are people that you have to be humble to, and help. That, at 8 years old, is setting the groundwork to be the George Jones, and to eventually run organizations like this. He’s learning from what he’s doing – it’s a beautiful thing." Sherita concludes: "The need to want to help others is so overwhelming in this little area – you can’t help but feel it! It fits me. Bread for the City fits my heart." Work with Sherita at our Southeast Center as a volunteer.
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