♪♪

I have a child that's 18 and in her senior year.

I have a son that's 16.

He'll be 17 in February and then I have my little Rebecca.

She's eight and they're the joy of my life.

I wouldn't take anything for them.

I remember when my oldest daughter was nine.

She was banging on the door when

I was in the room smoking crack cocaine.

Banging on the door, "Mom,

I know you're in there smoking dope."

I started crying because she knew what I was doing.

It breaks my heart because my kids have seen what I've done.

But, the good thing is they know what can happen,

if you go down that road.

It's not good.

The best thing to do is be honest with somebody.

My caseworker, I've been honest with her.

I've been honest with a friend of mine named Pamela.

Today, I'm not lying. I'm telling the truth.

I'm not drinking. I'm not using.

I'm working hard to do what I have to for my family.

I can't change the past but,

I can change the future and my life and my kid's lives.

We want our kids to come home.

You know, if you're not a parent who's willing to do what it

takes to bring your child home then,

I feel...I really feel for you.

But, if you love your kids, you will do

what it takes to bring them home.

I'm grateful to the foster parents all of them who

participated in taking care of my kids.

I'm grateful to the government whoever has

been a part of taking care of my kids.

I'm grateful to all of them.

I am clean and sober today and I believe the

outlook on my kid's lives as they get older is good.

♪ Music ♪

I got to thinking about my

own mother and the elderly.

This was before the Special Unit on Aging.

The government hadn't passed some

of the programs they have now.

And, so, we just did it on our own.

We didn't promise that we were going to feed every old person.

We just decided we were going to see if volunteers

could work the program and they have since 1971.

I think all you need to do is see the need and I think once

you can get them out away from the church and talking with that

individual that maybe hasn't seen anybody,

you know, since the last time somebody was there with a meal.

Then, you get to thinking about yourself

and how important other people are.

I think you get hooked on a little thing that you can do

that makes such a difference in the life of people.

To know that somebody's there everyday and if they don't get

an answer at the door the volunteer doesn't get an answer

they call the mobile meals office right away.

I sometimes think the speaking that we do is as

important as the actual food that they get.

To have somebody greet them and ask them how

they're feeling today and listen to them.

I think the contact the physical contact

is almost as important as the food.

We send nutritious meals out there.

We still have the same group of volunteers that are spending

more money to put gas in their cars,

the cost of the trays has almost doubled

since we started the program.

But, I'm a true believer that if you're doing things right,

it's going to work out right in the end.

I'm not the only one I think every one of the volunteers has

gotten just us much or more out of that.

It was kind of a selfish move on my part.

I thought, I can't do this for my own mother but,

maybe I can do it for someone else's mother.

It's been one of the worthwhile things I've done in my life.

I'm very proud of the meal service we've

provided for people and the volunteers.

You know, I think it's really easy to hear things on

television and be against the government and the

way they're spending your money.

But, when you know how much good you can do whether it's taking a

foster child or taking food to a homebound elderly person that

really doesn't cost you anything but your time.

I think that's what makes the world go around.

I'm happy we've had a part in

that and DHS was really supportive.

It has been a real wonderful activity for me.

I hate like everything that I can't

be out there driving a car.

They won't let me with the medicine I'm taking.

They hide my car keys.

♪ Music ♪

He lives with two other fellows and they do things

together like go out and eat together and go to movies

together and stuff like that and participate with the House

Manager that's over their program.

I'm Gary's Program Coordinator.

I've been working with him since March and that's how we met.

Gary enjoys his freedom.

He watches TV.

He watches movies and basically lives as an everyday person.

We've seen a positive change in Gary.

No behaviors.

He gets along well with everybody.

He appears to be happy compared to when he first came here.

He likes going to the lake.

He likes to shop.

He likes eating, fishing.

<Gary> go fishing

He likes walking around the mall.

<Gary> go walking. go across the street.

He enjoys riding in the car.

It keeps him active and since it's not as many people,

he gets a lot more one on one.

He's just comfortable, I guess.

He has his own space.

Basically, he can do whatever he wants to without

people constantly telling him what to do.

He can just tell us what he wants to do.

Well, Gary is a great guy and always tries to be humble.

<Gary> Thank you.

♪ Music ♪

Basically my story is I come from a factory

and when I had gotten on the

TANF program I was at my wit's end.

I had quit my job and I didn't think there was and I didn't

think there was any place else to go for me.

The thought of ever being on DHS TANF was out of the question.

I was living in an RV in the back of my

sister's yard with my son by myself.

I went ahead and went to the program and they placed me on

TANF, food stamps, medical gave me basically what I needed to

get my foot on the ground and get running.

I went and asked the lady in the front office

if they could just go ahead and place me in

a job, any job, anywhere.

I'd had enough of being on TANF and welfare.

They had got with me the next day and had an opening at the

Department of Human Services.

I came in for an interview and they loved me. It was great.

There is a lady in the program that has gone through

the same program I've been through.

She's my right hand and her name is Faith Frazier.

She's been my backbone, everything.

I couldn't imagine doing it without her.

She's taken me by the hand.

She has doesn't stop until she knows that what

she has just taught me has sunk in.

First of all, you yourself have to know.

I don't care how deep down inside yourself it is because

sometimes you can get to the point to where you have to go

inside yourself and pull it out.

Regardless if the day gets hard.

It's long.

The money gets short.

You have to actually pull it out of yourself.

It also helps if you have people around you that see