“When you can’t go anywhere without being hauled,” Grandma Jan says, “you have to serve according to your abilities.” For years, 90-year-old Jan Clark has opened up her home to those in need. They come to pick out food that has been donated by local stores, and they always leave with a hug.
Grandma Jan’s service has brought people together all throughout the community. Each day, friends and family members pick up excess produce and other goods from local stores. The load is brought back to Grandma Jan’s house where she has an entire room dedicated to shelving all of the items. Throughout the day, people come from all over the community to pick up food for themselves or for others who are in need. Many of these same people come back throughout the week to help organize the load, in an effort to pay it forward.
Throughout the day, as visitors come in to receive supplies, Grandma Jan welcomes them, visits with them, and has a puzzle on the table for anyone wanting to stay a while. “Walking in means you’re loved. All the burdens fall off your shoulders as she wraps you in her arms. Everybody that walks in the door feels that way, and they all call her ‘grandma’,” shares her granddaughter.
Over the past five years as Grandma Jan has opened up her home, she has helped to feed over a thousand people. Her reach has spread and she has recently been able to feed many refugee families as well as those experiencing hard times in the community. Several months ago, over 400 people showed up to Grandma Jan’s 90th birthday party—many of which were people who had received food from her. “I feel very blessed to be able to do this,” she says, “it gives me a certain amount of peace beyond words.”
Do you know someone who selflessly gives of their time and effort to help others around them? Nominate them for a Goodness Grant! Each month we will choose one nominee and highlight them as the recipient of our Goodness Grant, which includes a prize of $1,000, to support them in their efforts. To read more stories, or nominate someone for a Goodness Grant, click here.
